


Of Street Races and Spider Legs: Redux

by Gaysuke_Takahashi, Kiyana



Category: Initial D
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 71,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21550855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaysuke_Takahashi/pseuds/Gaysuke_Takahashi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiyana/pseuds/Kiyana
Summary: Takumi is a simple boy, he only wants a few things: sleep, routine, a warm nest, and quiet. Much to his dismay, all of his desires will be dismantled and thrown to the wolves as he's dragged into a world he wanted nothing to do with. He just wants the quiet life, but the friends he has, and will make, won't let him have that without a intervening.Oh, and did I mention he's a Jorōgumo?Set in Stage 1.Redux because the original version of this volume was a hot mess, and we know we can do better.
Comments: 32
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the curtains open and the show begins

It was hot, almost too hot. Were he not used to it by now, he probably would have collapsed already. As it were, he was already leaning tiredly against the railing on the school’s connector bridge as he zoned out.

 _‘I think I’m close to a molt…’_ he mused blankly, having noticed that his limbs were still pretty stiff despite having gotten up a couple of hours ago.

“Damn it, Takumi!” he was startled from his thoughts by his friend yelling in his ear, sounding particularly upset. “Are you even listening to me!?”

“Yes, Itsuki.” he responded passively, honestly he really hadn’t been listening at all, but Itsuki always talked about the same thing every day so it wasn’t hard at all to figure out what he’d been on about. “So how much is that car you’re on about, exactly?” Itsuki huffed impatiently beside him.

“It’s an 86, space cadet.” he corrected Takumi, before reopening the magazine in his hands. “Well, this one goes for three hundred thousand yen, but it hasn’t passed inspection yet.”

“And how much do you have saved so far?” Takumi tilted his head as he asked this, catching sight of Itsuki visibly wilting at the question.

“Uh… about fifty thousand.” he responded morosely, and Takumi winced a little sympathetically. He may not know much nor care about cars, but Itsuki was pretty passionate, and he’d support that.

“That’s a long ways away from three hundred thousand.”

“I know, I know…” Itsuki sniveled, before exploding again. “Isn’t there any way to make a lot of quick money!?”

“There are _some_ ways, but they’re illegal.” Takumi jabbed at him.

“Shut up, I’m talking legally!” Itsuki’s face was a little red, but from embarrassment or outrage, Takumi couldn’t tell. “Like a new job or something! With our current part-time jobs at the gas station, even if we work full-time during the summer break, we’ll only make one hundred and twenty thousand yen _at most_!” Takumi could hear footsteps behind him and paid it not much mind since he and Itsuki weren’t the only people walking around. “There’s just gotta be a better job out there!”

“You guys work part time?” a familiar, feminine voice questioned, causing Takumi to jump a little as he turned around.

“Oh, Natsuki! Good morning.” Takumi greeted politely. “What are you doing up here?”

“Walking to class, like everyone else.” she responded, putting a hand on her hip. “Why? Do you not want me here?”

“That’s not it.” Takumi gave her a blank look. “I’m just a little surprised that we’re talking, is all. You’ve avoided me for a while.”

“Well… I don’t think that we should be holding grudges anymore.”

“Grudges? I never held one against you.” and he would know if he did. Natsuki gave him a vaguely awkward laugh, before turning to Itsuki.

“You said you could get around a hundred and twenty thousand working full time this summer.” she blatantly changed the topic. “Just how many hours are you supposed to work every day?”

Itsuki was ready to yell again, Takumi could tell from his posture, but tried restraining himself for once. “From early morning to late at night!”

“What!?” the expression on Natsuki’s face wasn’t really one Takumi would have expected, a sort of blown away look, as though she’d expected shorter hours. “You can only make a hundred and twenty thousand a month for that much work!?”

“That sounds about right.” Takumi said, watching as Itsuki’s expression became vaguely feral.

“Wages for high school students are really low!”

“Wow… I didn’t know that.” a sad and vaguely ashamed look came over her face, much to Takumi’s interest. “I’ve never had a part-time job…” before she could say anything else, the school bell rang, notifying that classes will soon begin. “Oh! Well, good luck with your job!” she exclaimed jovially, before locking eyes with Takumi. “We should hang out together after finals!”

Itsuki got mega excited, which was a far cry from his mood when he talked about his part-time job. “That sounds fun!” he exclaimed, causing Natsuki to laugh as she hurried off. “‘Let’s get together!’ she said!” he practically melted, leaning against Takumi dramatically, much to his dismay.

“Yeah, she did say that.” he responded, nudging his friend off of him. It was too hot for the close contact, damn it. Itsuki let out that familiar, excited squeal of his as he practically lept away from him in excitement.

“That’s good! Good!” he suddenly turned towards Takumi, a passive look on his face. “Hey, Takumi, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you were Mogi’s friend! You should have told me.” Takumi rose a brow at him.

“Well, we haven’t talked in a year, you know.” he looked away, not noticing the vaguely taken aback expression on his friend’s face. “We were in the same club. Talked quite a lot until last summer.” Takumi jumped as Itsuki’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, he hadn’t even heard his friend walk closer, it was almost like he teleported.

“Well she did say that we should forget about any grudges.” he said smugly. “This is a great turn of events, after all!” Itsuki pulled away and was back over where he’d been moments prior, practically gushing about how cute Natsuki was as Takumi’s gaze turned away once more, recalling the reason why she started avoiding him in the first place. He could still remember the way that guy’s nose caved in and the blood dripping from his fist quite clearly. Everyone else had been standing back, almost terrified, because they’ve never seen a human so feral, even if said human wasn’t really all that human in the first place.

“Oi! Takumi!” Itsuki’s distressed voice brought him out of his memories. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late to class!” Itsuki had already turned and was running across the bridge. “We have a grammar test coming up!” Takumi felt panic shoot through him and clicked, too distracted to berate himself for the slip, and hurried after his friend.

“Hey, wait up!”

~0~

It was still practically _boiling_ as they were finally released for the day, Itsuki practically melting beside him as they walked home, his nose still deep inside that magazine of his. Takumi was surprised that he hadn’t stumbled on his way, and was vaguely impressed as Itsuki dodged something in his path without looking up once.

“Hey, Takumi?” Itsuki finally spoke up.

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t we buy an 86 together?” the suggestion caused Takumi to blink. “If we combine our money, we can afford to get a loan.” Itsuki looked up from his magazine and grinned at him.

“No.” Takumi responded easily, causing Itsuki’s expression to fall immediately. “Besides, all the money I earn, my dad takes it to pay the bills. Also, doesn’t your family already have a car? If you want one so badly, just use that.” he remembered that Itsuki’s family was doing better financially than his own. He still remembers the dinner Itsuki’s mom made for them when he visited his place.

“No way in hell!” Itsuki exclaimed, looking offended. “That old thing is no good! It’s an automatic, and a front wheel drive to boot! And it’s diesel! It’s crap.” Itsuki wilted visibly. “I wouldn’t even call the damn thing a _car_.” Takumi gave Itsuki a blank look that his friend quickly recognized. “Don’t give me that expressionless stare, Takumi.”

“Itsuki.” Takumi sighed. “It has four tires, and it runs. It’s a car.”

“You don’t get what I mean at all.” his friend growled, looking irritated. “If it’s not fun to race in, then you can’t call it a car!”

“Why the hell would you want to race in it?” Itsuki groaned, clutching the magazine tight in a fist. “What, is it fun or something?”

“Of course it’s fun!” Itsuki exploded, smacking Takumi’s shoulder with the rolled up magazine. “How could you _not_ understand that!” Takumi wanted to explain to him that he has to drive down the pass everyday for deliveries, for five years now. But part of him didn’t want to tell him about it, who knows what he’ll yell next.

“I’m just tired of hearing about driving and racing.” he finally responded. “You and Iketani talk about it too much.”

“How the hell can someone get tired of that!?”

~0~

Takumi and Itsuki had reached the gas station they worked at and had changed their clothes. Itsuki was still trying to convince Takumi to help him buy that car, and Takumi was already wanting to go home.

“Come on, Takumi, please!” Itsuki exclaimed once more. “Just think about it!” he latched onto Takumi’s arm and began tugging. “It’s too cool to pass up!”

“I don’t care about an 86!” Takumi exclaimed back, pulling on his arm. “Let me go!”

“What’s this about an 86?” someone asked as Takumi finally broke free from Itsuki’s hold, and both turned to see their co-worker, Koichiro Iketani.

“Itsuki’s trying to get me to help him pay for getting one.” Takumi responded quickly enough.

“He has good taste!” Itsuki visibly perked at that, practically teleporting beside Iketani and leaning close to him despite the heat.

“See, see?” he crowed at Takumi. “Iketani says I have good taste! He thinks it’s a good idea, don’t you, Iketani?” the older male, despite looking vaguely uncomfortable by Itsuki’s proximity to him, nodded.

“Yeah, the 86 is a good car!”

“See!” Itsuki’s attitude did another one eighty as he snapped at Takumi. “I told you!”

“Uh, sure… But I have no idea what an 86 is. Is it made by Mazda?” Iketani and Itsuki were both stunned silent for a moment, before Itsuki practically howled a sound of disbelief.

“Are you serious?” Iketani asked, looking bewildered. Then he and Itsuki yanked him near a gas pump.

“Honestly, you work at a gas station and you don’t even know what an 86 is!?” Itsuki yelled, putting Takumi in a headlock as he let out an alarmed sound at being yanked. He managed to get free once, almost escaping as Itsuki pulled him back into another headlock. “It’s disgraceful!”

“Oi!” a fourth voice called from the store, causing the three of them to pause and look at that direction. Standing there, looking particularly amused but still serious, was their boss, Yuichi Tachibana. “No rough housing by the pumps!” the three scattered momentarily.

Still, Itsuki couldn’t help it and kept on talking about the 86, Iketani nodding along.

“You know,” Iketani began. “I’m not actually all that surprised Takumi doesn’t know. You guys were in second or third grade when the 92 model came out.”

Takumi looked beat, the weather is too hot, he’s close to a molt and now, tormented by his coworkers. He _really_ wanted to go home.

“Oi, Iketani! When we buy our 86, will you let us join your team?!” Itsuki looked very hyper, what was with the mood swings today? “I’ve always dreamed of joining the SpeedStars!”

“Yeah, sure, I guess! Oh, by the way, me and the rest of the team are meeting on Akina tonight, seeing as it’s Saturday and all. You guys wanna come along?”

“We can?!” Itsuki exclaimed, before he wilted immediately. “We don’t have a car, though…”

“You two can just ride with me!”

“Really!” Itsuki perked back up, his eyes sparkling excitedly. “In your S13!?” at Iketani’s nod, Itsuki let out an excited squeal. “Yes! We’re definitely going!” he latched onto Takumi once more, much to his particularly verbal dismay. “This is such a rare opportunity!”

“Uh… I never said I wanted to go…” Takumi muttered, but Itsuki continued to yell over him, as though he never said a thing.

~0~

The sun had almost set in the sky as Yuichi watched Itsuki practically drag Takumi home, a little amused by just how docile that kid was, knowing what he did about his family. Though, he distinctly remembered being almost exactly the same with Bunta when they were younger, so maybe he shouldn’t be. He clearly remembers the angry sound, that could be described as clicking, coming from Bunta when he was mad, and wondered if Takumi made the same sound as well. Iketani said something to the kids as they left, something about picking them up later as he exited the vehicle he’d been driving and approached.

“So you three are actually going out to Akina, huh?” he asked, causing Iketani to nod.

“Of course, it’s the SpeedStars’ territory! We are the fastest team on Akina.”

“Many claim to be the fastest on Akina, pup.” Yuichi scoffed, and Iketani’s expression twitched at the term. “Back when I was still into the racing scene, there was this one racer that everyone admitted was the fastest. He still drives Akina to this day, too.”

“Still?” Iketani asked, sounding incredulous. “I know everyone who races on Akina, and none of them are as old as you.”

“That’s rude.” Yuichi chuckled. “And you never see him because he drives in the very early hours of the morning,” a sly grin kept on creeping onto his face. “Seeing as he’s now the owner of a tofu shop.”

“... _what_.” Iketani sounded very unimpressed.

“Every morning, around four o’clock, he goes around delivering tofu to the hotels around Lake Akina. Even after all these years, his downhill speed is still the best I’ve ever seen. Rain or snow, he never stops his deliveries, it’s his business on the line after all. I’d even put all of my money on that the fastest car on Akina is… tofu shop’s 86.”

“An 86 from a _tofu shop_!?”

~0~

Takumi was half dozed off in the living room as he looked at the time, it was nearly eight, and he needed to get up soon, but _Outsiders_ that was too much work after the day he had. He was comfortably sprawled out, his pedipalps shifting lazily and all eight of his limbs motionless.

 _“...I need to get up.”_ he sighed, and slowly stood to his feet, shifting down to a more human form as he started towards the door.

 _“Master!”_ a tiny voice squeaked from behind him, and he turned in time to see a little spider scurrying after him. _“Wait for me!”_

“Oh, Nejibana, sorry.” he reached down towards her and scooped her up, almost awed over how small she was compared to the other spiders in the area. Despite her size, her patterning was coming in already. Setting her on his shoulder, he continued towards the door and opened it.

 _“Heading out?”_ Bunta noticed him when he walked out. A giant golden orb weaver was situated on his shoulder. It seemed that the elder spider was eyeing the newspaper Bunta was reading. _“And with Nejibana, I see.”_ the large orb weaver looked up at that.

“Yeah, I have plans with Itsuki tonight.” Takumi responded quietly. “And Nejibana wanted to come along, she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, you know that, dad.”

 _“Yes, I know.”_ Tama chuckled as he turned back to looking at the paper.

 _“She’s just like me when I was a_ _hatchling.”_ the old spider mused. _“Just keep her out of trouble.”_

“Will do, Tama.”

 _“One more thing kid,”_ Bunta picked back up. _“I don’t care how long you’re out today, just make sure you’re back in time for deliveries.”_

“I don’t think I’ll be out past midnight.” Takumi stretched, groaning a little. “I’m all stiff.”

 _“Approaching another molt?”_ at Takumi’s nod, Bunta turned the page of his newspaper. _“Then be careful. If you need help, find some way to call. This molt is an early one, it would seem.”_

“From my estimate, it’ll hit me sometime tomorrow.” Bunta hummed.

_“Still, be careful. Early molts are always messy.”_

“Yeah, I got it dad.” Takumi sighed. “This one makes me a little nervous, but I’ll take care.”

_“Good.”_

_“And keep an eye on my hatchling!”_ Tama reminded once more. _“She’s still too young to be out in my opinion, but you and her do what you may.”_

 _“I can take care of myself!”_ Nejibana exclaimed, sounding offended. _“I’m a big girl!”_

 _“You’re only two months old.”_ Tama said blankly. _“You haven’t even had your first molt yet.”_

 _“I’M CLOSE TO MY FIRST MOLT!”_ she shrieked. _“I WILL BITE YOU!”_

 _“With what fangs, kid? You mean your little nubs?”_ Tama teased her, causing her to puff up a little and begin leaning a little. It was only a matter of time before she started threat posturing.

 _“Ease up, you two, there is no need for family drama.”_ Bunta intervened before the worst could happen. _“You get going, Takumi, before you’re late. Or I’ll have to kick you awake for the deliveries.”_

~0~

“You’re such a baby.” Itsuki commented, sounding a little harsh as Takumi recovered his equilibrium on the ground. Takumi wasn’t used to feeling the car sway so uncontrollably, his insides felt like mush and he was half convinced that he wouldn’t be able to produce silk for a week. “You were screaming like a girl, I’m surprised you didn’t ruin Iketani’s focus!”

“That was probably his first time in a car with a street racer, Itsuki.” Iketani commented, and no, that wasn’t really it. He’s been in the Trueno with his father at the wheel before, and _never_ has he ever made the damn car feel like it was going to slide off Akina.

“Bet that you’re the kind who screams at roller coasters!” he kept on yelling at Takumi.

“Everyone screams on roller coasters.” Takumi responded firmly, causing Itsuki to fall silent. “And _roller coasters_ aren’t scary, anyway. I feel like you couldn’t understand this fear I have, even if I try to explain it.” honestly, that was far too jostling for his tastes. The molt, which was looming over him, didn’t make the situation any better.

“Huh?” Itsuki actually looked a little concerned at that. “Takumi, what are you on about?”

“Hey! A group of cars is coming this way!” someone yelled, taking everyone’s attention away from the ill looking Takumi.

Nejibana whispered to him from his pocket. _“Are you alright, Master?”_

“I’m alright.” he muttered back. “Just a little iffy is all.”

“Were you able to see what cars were in the convoy?” Iketani called back.

“No, but someone down at the bottom of the pass said they thought they saw RedSuns stickers!” that caused excited whispers to break out as Iketani made eye contact with one of his team mates, Kenji, if Takumi remembered correctly.

“The RedSuns? Here?” Iketani asked, sounding a little winded.

“I don’t believe it.” Kenji responded, a little wide eyed as he looked down the road. “Why would they come here?” Takumi tried to stand up to the best of his ability, a little confused as to what’s going on as Itsuki noticed and helped him up.

“Jeez, did the ride here really mess you up that much?” he asked, this time completely concerned.

“Yeah, I’ve been feeling a little under the weather recently.” he responded.

“Don’t get sick on me, Takumi.” Itsuki sounded alarmed, and Takumi chuckled at him.

“I’m not gonna get sick on you, calm down.” before he could say anything else, distant engine noises reached his sensitive ears, and it wasn’t long before the group of cars pulled onto the peak, being led by a particularly bright yellow car.

“It really _is_ the RedSuns.” he heard Iketani whisper excitedly.

 _“The wolf sounds excited.”_ he heard Nejibana comment, and Takumi agreed, he could practically see a tail wagging excitedly hidden from sight. It would be hilarious if they weren’t surrounded by humans. Thinking about that, did Iketani even know or suspect that Takumi wasn’t human? Maybe they should talk about that at some point.

The sound of car doors opening pulled his attention away from his thoughts, and as he turned his gaze back towards the road, he and the driver of that yellow car, a male with bright blonde, spiked hair, met eyes for only a second, before the blonde turned to lock eyes with someone else who was stepping out of the car behind his. With the smallest of nods, the blonde turned back towards the SpeedStars.

“Alright!” he began. “We’re members of the Akagi RedSuns. I don’t want to sound rude, or presumptuous, but I wanna know just who the fastest team or the fastest racer on this side of the mountain is!”

“If you’re looking for the fastest team, then you must be blind! We’re the fastest around here!” Iketani exclaimed, causing the blonde to raise a brow at his tone. He turned towards the other person once more, taking in the incredibly amused expression on his face, before turning back and crossing his arms and letting out a chuckle.

“Well, then I guess we’ve found what we’re looking for! What do you think about holding a practice session with our team, right here on Akina?” that struck the SpeedStars’ members out of the blue. Suspicious whispers broke out amongst the SpeedStars, causing one of the RedSuns members to walk forward. His stride reminded Takumi of how he’s seen a bird walk, vaguely.

“It’s a good idea!” he announced, causing the noise to die down. “I mean, we usually only run with people we know, so it’s becoming routine. Running against other teams gives us a new challenge. It’ll be fun, probably. We can make new friends and exchange knowledge. It’ll also improve our skills.” Takumi could notice a visible difference in the SpeedStars members as the man continued to speak, all of them looking more convinced with each reason given, like they were placed under an odd spell. 

He narrowed his eyes a little. _‘Bird-like walking and getting Iketani’s team to agree to this so quickly… something about him is very off, he isn’t a human, that’s for sure.’_ Takumi thought.

That man kept talking. “At first, we can run together and then each team will pick a representative for both the downhill and uphill races. Of course, we aren’t concerned about winning or losing. So, what do you think?”

Iketani glanced at Kenji. “I mean, if you put it that way, we don’t have a reason to say no?” Kenji agreed with his statement. Takumi could practically feel Itsuki vibrating with excitement from beside him, once he got the chance he was going to absolutely lose it.

“Then, will next Saturday at ten o’clock do?”

“That’s fine by me.”

“Then today, we’ll just take it easy.” the blonde picked back up, nodding thankfully at his team mate. He glanced at Takumi once more, looking vaguely curious, before getting back into his car. Out of all the days Takumi could have come here, it had to be today. One by one, the convoy left at incredible speeds, leaving the SpeedStars behind to completely comprehend what just happened.

“Wait, why are we just standing around!?” Kenji suddenly exclaimed, looking determined. “We shouldn’t be looking so intimidated, let’s go too!” his words caused everyone to break out into sound as they hurried towards their cars.

“What’s going on?” Takumi finally asked, catching Iketani’s attention as Itsuki finally allowed himself to explode into sound. “Why is everyone so freaked out?”

“I almost forgot you aren’t really interested in cars and racing.” Iketani responded anxiously. “We were just challenged by the RedSuns, and _both_ of the Takahashi brothers were with them. This is the biggest thing to happen to us since we formed.”

“They’ve been featured in a number of magazines!” Itsuki exclaimed. “They’re _famous_!”

“Yes, Ryousuke Takahashi, and his younger brother Keisuke. They’re known as the Rotary Brothers, and are said to be the fastest on Akagi. Getting the chance to race them doesn’t come often.” his inner wolf was howling at this point, ready to run after them. “I have to join in on the practice!” and with that said, he was darting towards his car excitedly.

“Oi, Iketani!” Itsuki yelled, causing the wolf to look at him. “What about us?”

“I don’t take passengers when I do serious runs.” he responded as he started his S13. “You two wait here, I’ll pick you up and take you home once we’re done.” Takumi felt relieved that he didn’t have to suffer again, but Itsuki on the other hand let out a completely upset whine as Iketani raced off.

“Damn it!” his friend yelled. “This sucks! Why are we the only ones without a car!?” Takumi was silent for a little bit, listening to the distant squeal of tires.

“Hey… Itsuki?” he asked quietly. “Is it really that much fun to be a street racer?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t really understand… why does everyone get so excited about it?”

“What I am more confused about is how _you’re_ not excited!” Itsuki exclaimed, giving Takumi a wide eyed look. “I mean, we both can hear those cars running hard after one another, right? How does that _not_ make you excited!?”

“I… am I supposed to be excited?”

“Yes!”

~0~

_“Fujiwara Tofu Shop, how can I help you?”_ Bunta answered the obnoxiously ringing phone.

 _“It’s me, you old arachnid.”_ a familiar voice said over the line, and Bunta huffed.

_“Oh, Yuichi, it’s just you. What a surprise…”_

_“Just me?”_ Yuichi sounded particularly amused by his words. _“I haven’t talked to you in years, and this is the greeting I get? Talk about rude.”_

_“Get to the point, damn dog, what do you want?”_

_“I see you haven’t mellowed any. Outsiders. I passed you on your way back from a delivery the other day and signaled you, but you just drove by me like I was nobody.”_ Bunta quirked a small, quick smile at that as he sat down.

_“Sorry, Yuichi, but that wasn’t me you saw.”_

_“Don’t pull that with me, Bunta, it had to be you. It was your 86!”_

_“Well, I mean…”_ Bunta raised one of his arms and scratched his temple. _“That might’ve been my car, but I wasn’t the one driving it. The tofu is being delivered to the hotels by my son, Takumi.”_ he could hear the most undignified coughing noise coming from the other side of the phone.

 _“What did you say?!”_ Yuichi’s voice had risen an octave at that, causing Bunta to hold the phone away from his ear. _“Since when?!”_

_“Uh.. about five years now? Give or take.”_

_“He’s been driving since the seventh grade?!”_ Bunta sighed at the outrage in Yuichi’s voice and settled in, he was in for a long rant from the Grim, and hanging up would just piss him off more.

~0~

The two brothers stood on a cliff watching their team and the SpeedStars race against each other. Keisuke was distinctly unimpressed by what he was seeing.

“What do you think, aniki?” he asked, glancing at his brother.

“They’re all trash.” he said without much thought, looking just as unimpressed as Keisuke felt. “Even our second string could easily defeat them. I don’t think that we will need to bring the top drivers next week. I know I definitely am not coming.”

“If you’re gonna pass, then so will I.” 

“You know you can’t do that, Keisuke.” Ryousuke said firmly. “You have to run and set a course record, one the locals can never break. Otherwise, the Akagi RedSuns will never become famous.” Keisuke let out a vaguely upset sigh at that.

“Uhh… okay.”

“First, we’ll set new records for every course in this prefecture, then we’ll head to Saitama, Kanagawa, Tokyo, and Chiba. We’ll have claim to every record in the entire Kanto region, making us legends, and then we’ll retire quietly. That is the Akagi RedSuns’ ‘Fastest in Kanto Project’.” and just like that, he turned around and got into his car, with Keisuke quickly following.

~0~

Keisuke was leaning against his car when a couple of other members showed up, looking particularly tired. Also he was slightly upset that the SpeedStars had left, because that kid he saw with that loud brat looked intriguing. He’d looked incredibly bored, like he’d rather have been anywhere else than there, and he _really_ wanted to know why.

“Where’s Ryousuke?” one of his team mates asked, visibly repressing a yawn.

“Aniki went home a while ago.” Keisuke responded easily. “We’re the only ones still here.”

“Well, it is almost dawn.” the other said, his head facing the horizon. Keisuke let out a sigh.

“Yeah, it is pretty late. We should head back too.” standing from his reclined position, the other two scattered to their own cars as Keisuke opened the door to his FD and got in, starting her up and quickly driving off, leaving the other two in the dust as he cleared corners as fast as he dared to while in unfamiliar territory. Glancing in his rearview and seeing nothing, he felt irritation build in his chest.

“Tsch, If I get serious, there is no way they can keep up!” as he said that, something glinted in his rearview. Turning his eyes back to it, he caught sight of a pair of headlights coming closer and closer. “Ah, they finally caught up, huh?” as the car came closer and closer, his expression fell a little as he realized he didn’t recognize the vehicle as their own. “Wait, that’s not one of ours. Is it an MR2 or 180?” whatever it was, he was gonna smoke it.

Though, he found himself becoming agitated, and competitive, as he realized that it wasn’t falling back at all, even as he sped up.

“Nice driving, I guess,” he scoffed as the mysterious car tried to pass him. “But after two corners, you won’t even be a speck in my mirrors!” They kept on going at full throttle and as they entered a corner side by side, he realized what kind of a car he was facing. “An 86!?” he yelled in disbelief. “Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding!” no matter what he did, that 86 continued to keep pace with him, never losing ground at all. “How is it that my FD can’t outrun an old 86!? Did I fall asleep at some point just to land in this nightmare!?”

As he closed in one of the harder turns, he hit the brakes, but the 86 had a different idea, and continued forward at full speed. Such a thing was completely unthinkable to Keisuke, and he felt vague panic rise in his chest. “Doesn’t that punk know this road? After this slow right, there is a sharp left! If they don’t slow down, they’ll fall in the ravine!” he watched as the brake lights on the 86 flashed to life, the rear end of the vehicle beginning to slide, prompting Keisuke to step on his own brakes. “I knew it! They're going too fast! They have no more room to slow down!” his panic rose more for a moment, before he witnessed the tail end of the 86 suddenly fly into the opposite direction, allowing the vehicle to drift safely through the corner using inertia alone. Keisuke slammed on the brakes from the shock, forcing his FD into a spin as the 86 drove off, leaving behind no traces of it ever being there. Keisuke could feel his arms shake slightly as he felt his blood singing, wanting to keep on chasing that 86. But there he was, in the middle of the road, having spun out.

He hasn’t spun out in a long time.

“...Just what in the hell did I witness?” he asked himself quietly, trying to make sense of what had just happened as he blatantly ignored the small shake in his voice. “Did I just see the ghost of a street racer who died here or something?” after taking a moment to calm himself, he felt cold fury settle in his veins. “That drift… it could’ve only been done by someone who has the ultimate knowledge of this pass.” he growled. “Just who the hell was that driver?” he could hear the faint, muffled sounds of engines approaching and stepped from his car, taking a moment to turn it off but not shutting the door as he crossed his arms.

“Keisuke!” one of his team mates exclaimed as they got from their car and hurried towards him. “Did you see that 86?!”

“Yeah.” he responded, sounding slightly angry. “Of course I did, why else would I be stopped in the middle of the fucking road?” his tone caused his team mates to take a step back, vaguely frightened, they’d never seen Keisuke be this angry _quietly_ before.

 _‘My pride is torn to shreds.’_ he thought furiously. _‘If I can’t race against him again, I will kill someone! Just thinking about the fact that my mountain specced FD got defeated by a ten year old 86 gets me furious. Just you wait, mysterious 86, I’ll find you once again, and next time, I won’t lose!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REDUX, DAMN IT! Face it, the first volume was a hot mess, and we've improved since it was first written. We can do better. We WILL do better. Also, I have to rework the OSRASL Series List, as the original first volume won't be in it once this redux is complete. (Kiyana)
> 
> Also surprise, surprise. I'm here as well! Rewriting the volume that first got me hooked on this series. But yea, the original feels a little clunky here and there. (Gaysuke_Takahashi)


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn that molts are not fun, the wolf learns about the spider, and a member of the RedSuns issues an angry challenge

Bunta frowned as he looked around the kitchen, noticing that there was almost exactly the same amount of food in there since Friday, which had been an entire two days ago. Yes, there were some bits missing here and there, but Bunta remembered taking them himself throughout those two days. That didn’t bode well at all for his kid’s state of being.

Unlike regular spiders, Jorōgumo rarely lose their appetite completely when approaching a molt, instead opting for many tinier snacks throughout that period. The complete loss of appetite usually means the oncoming molt is going to be a bad one. Bunta frowned, he might just have to call Yuichi about this. Exiting the kitchen, he headed up the stairs and gently pushed open the door to his kid’s room, hardly blinking when a pillow came flying at him.

 _“I see you’re not in a very good mood today.”_ he commented quietly, watching as Nejibana bobbed around the large, blanket and pillow covered lump he realized was his son.

 _“My legs hurt.”_ Takumi’s muffled voice groused. _“Leave me alone.”_

 _“You know I can’t do that this time, kid.”_ Bunta responded, taking a few steps in. _“Have you been eating?”_

 _“I had one of those small protein bars yesterday.”_ at least he had something. Takumi shifted, and Bunta could see his eyes gleaming softly from a gap in the sheets. _“Why?”_

 _“I’m just a little worried is all.”_ he said. _“I noticed that you haven’t eaten anything out of the kitchen.”_

_“I’m fine, dad.”_

_“Alright.”_ Bunta accepted. _“Do you think you’ll be able to go to work today, or do I have to call Yuichi.”_

 _“I’ll be fine working.”_ Takumi finally allowed a few limbs to emerge from the pile. _“I don’t think my molt will be until I’m already home from work.”_

 _“Good.”_ Bunta turned to go back out the door, just in time for Tama to descend right in front of his face.

_“Master, there’s someone outside, leering around your car.”_

_“What? Do you know who?”_

~0~

Iketani stared at the car in front of him, his expression blank as he finally concluded what he’d been trying to.

“No doubt about it.” Iketani said quietly, idly scratching at his side, ignoring how some spots seemed to ache. “That’s an 86 alright.”

 _“I’d even put all of my money on that the fastest car on Akina is… tofu shop’s 86.”_ Yuichi’s voice echoed in his head as he tilted it, his eyes never leaving the car in front of him.

“This looks like any ordinary 86 I’ve seen.” he huffed, ignoring how the wolf in his head began to pace. “It’s an early GT-Apex model, totally stock, except for the fog lights.” he leaned back against his S13 and let out a sigh. “Yuichi must be losing it, there’s no way this kind of car can be faster than any of the latest machines…” satisfied with his conclusions, he closed his eyes and took a moment to think, the subtle smell of fried tofu he’d picked up suddenly being joined by the much stronger smell of spiders and silk.

Spiders and silk?

Iketani reopened his eyes, vaguely alarmed, as he looked around, seeing no webs or spiders in sight. Why is he smelling it so strongly, then? He heard the shuffle of a door knob and his eyes darted towards the door of the shop, the smell strengthening as it opened and revealed a very tired looking Takumi, who was blinking at him in confusion.

“Iketani? What are you doing around here?” he stepped from the store and shut the door, cutting off the majority of the smell as he did so. Iketani was quiet for a moment, a little surprised, before his eyes darted to the sign atop the store. Fujiwara Tofu Shop. Takumi’s house, a tofu shop reeking of spider. It made Iketani want to narrow his eyes.

“I didn’t know you lived here.” he said honestly, and Takumi rubbed at one of his eyes.

“Not even Itsuki does, so it’s not like you’re missing out. But it still doesn't explain what you're doing here.” Iketani chuckled awkwardly.

“I was just driving around and came upon this place by accident.” he responded, and that was mostly true. He _had_ been driving around and found Takumi’s home by accident, while looking for that 86. Takumi seemed to doubt his words for a moment, before shrugging.

“Alright, I guess that’s fair.” he said easily. “It’s well within your rights.” Iketani internally sighed in relief.

“Aside from that, didn’t you say you had no clue what an 86 was yesterday?” Takumi looked a little confused by the change of topic.

“Yeah?”

“Well, I can’t help but wonder if you were being completely truthful, seeing as you have an 86 sitting right there.” Iketani gestured at the car parked beside the shop, and Takumi’s expression became even more confused.

“What? No, it says ‘Trueno’ on it.” Takumi’s tone was absolutely confused, and his expression lost.

“And it is a Trueno.” Iketani responded. “86 refers to the model, it’s an AE86. The Levin and Trueno are also called the 86.” the absolutely bewildered look on Takumi’s face let Iketani know that he’d completely lost him and let out a small chuckle. “If you still don’t believe me, let’s go talk with Itsuki about it. He should be at work by now.”

“I… okay?” Iketani motioned Takumi towards his S13 and soon both were off, the car ride silent for the most part.

“Hey, Takumi?” Iketani spoke up after a while, catching Takumi’s attention. “Be honest with me?”

“About what?” Iketani swallowed.

“Are there any spiders nesting around your house?” Takumi quirked a brow. “I thought I saw spider silk outside and was just curious.” Takumi was silent for a moment, before chuckling.

“You know more than you’re asking.” he responded, causing Iketani to widen his eyes.

“Huh?”

“You’d only ask if you had suspicions.” he smiled crookedly. “You wolves are all alike in that regard.” Iketani felt his blood run cold.

“You… you know?”

“Well, yes. I could smell it.” a small round of some sort of sound, almost like clicking, left Takumi’s throat. “So can the other spiders in the house.”

“So you really are a Jorōgumo, then?” Takumi nodded and flashed him a glimpse of his fangs. “That’s not terrifying in the slightest. Don’t do that.”

“No promises.” they fell silent once again. “Iketani, you do realize that by telling Itsuki I have, what, an _86_ as you call it, at my nest, he’ll be driven into a shouting fit, right?”

“I’m sure it won’t be _that_ bad.”

~0~

“WHAT!?” Iketani was wrong, it was definitely that bad, as Itsuki most definitely lost it. “TAKUMI HAS AN 86 AT HIS PLACE!?”

“Lower your voice, Itsuki, I’m literally right here, you don’t have to scream.” Iketani growled, rubbing at his ears. He’s extremely loud for a human.

“Iketani, you _have_ to be joking.” Itsuki said, much quieter than moments ago, his hands latched onto Iketani’s uniform. “You’re kidding, right?” at Iketani’s apologetic expression, Itsuki’s expression became desolate. “You’re not joking, are you?”

“Nope. I saw the car with my own two eyes.” Iketani responded, watching as Takumi yawned and rubbed at his arms. “Sorry.” Itsuki was silent for a moment, before letting Iketani go and walking over to Takumi, his expression carefully blank. As he drew closer, he raise a fist and connected it lightly with Takumi’s left cheek, causing him to cry out in surprise and hold it.

“Damn you, Takumi!” Itsuki exclaimed, sounding betrayed. “How dare you keep that a secret from me!?”

“How the hell was I keeping it a secret if I didn’t even know!?” Takumi responded, sounding vaguely incensed. “You all should have told me you were talking about the damn Trueno. If it’s a Trueno, just say it’s a Trueno! Normal people don’t call it an 86!” Itsuki let out a particularly angry growl as he raised his fists. _‘Normal people, hah.’_ he found that term funny considering the context in which he had said that

“Ugh, why you little…!” Takumi’s expression became alarmed, and he immediately squared up, raising his fists in a defensive manner at the unspoken threat Itsuki had issued. Instead of lashing out, as Takumi had half expected, Itsuki instead placed an arm around his shoulder, a sly look on his face. “Let’s have a little chat, Takumi. How about you let me borrow that 86 for a bit next Saturday?” Takumi felt his brow twitch at that. There was no way in hell his dad would let anyone but his kid drive that car, and besides, why the hell would Itsuki need it?

“Why?” he asked aloud, causing Itsuki to let out a loud groan.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he nearly exclaimed. “To go watch the SpeedStars and RedSuns meet, of course!” Takumi gave Itsuki another blank look, causing Iketani to snicker a little from his position a little ways away. “I mean, ever since yesterday’s incident, I’ve been more interested in the street racing scene than ever before! I mean, don’t you wanna see the Takahashi Brothers race too?” Takumi thought for a second, the image of that blonde popping up in his head again, before he blinked and looked away.

“No, not really.” he responded, barely having time to react as Itsuki’s hands closed around his throat and squeezed a little. It wasn’t enough to constrict his airway at all, but it was still a little startling, nonetheless.

“How could you say that!?” he yelled, ignoring how Takumi swatted at his arms in an attempt to get him to let him go. “And to me, your best friend of all people!?” finally letting go, he fell to his knees in a pleading position, his hands clasped before him. “I’m begging you, Takumi, give me a ride in the 86 on Saturday, please?” Iketani looked like he wanted to howl with laughter, his face a little red from keeping it all in.

“Hey, what are you two standing around for!?” Yuichi’s voice echoed from the shop. “We have customers!”

~0~

Iketani huffed as he leaned forward, fidgeting with and moving a few screws from his car as he worked on the tires. Taking a second to wipe the sweat off his brows, he continued his work, ignoring as he heard two sets of footsteps entering the garage.

“Are you putting brand-new tires on your car?” he heard Kenji’s voice question. “Those must have been pretty expensive.”

“They were.” he responded distractedly. “But I need high grip to reduce my times. I’m also replacing the brake pads. Braking is crucial on a downhill, after all.”

“Are you planning on running, Iketani?” the second voice piped up, sounding vaguely concerned.

“Yes, I plan on it.” he paused for a moment to look over his current handiwork before continuing. “I’ll attack Akina’s downhill as if I’ve got a death wish.”

“Don’t overdo it, Iketani.” Kenji warned. “One mistake on the downhill can be fatal.”

“I know that, Kenji, but I have to overdo it, just a little. For the pride of our hometown.” as Iketani worked on, Kenji and the other SpeedStars member locked eyes, they had a bad feeling about this.

~0~

Keisuke sneered, his teeth bared and his grip on the wheel harsh as he ran Akina once more, no one but him around in these early morning hours. And, that _wasn’t_ what he wanted, it was pissing him off.

“That 86 hasn’t appeared today, either.” he snarled, he’s been doing this every night since he first encountered the damn thing, and it was irking him to no end that he wasn’t able to get him to appear again. “Is that driver even a local? They have to be, they were totally familiar with this pass. I _need_ to face him again! If I don’t get my revenge, then I’ll never be able to calm down!” the engine of his FD roared with that declaration, as if it too wished to face that 86 again and leave it in the dust. “Come out and face me, Ghost of Akina! I don’t give a damn about the SpeedStars, I’m here to face you, and you alone!”

~0~

Takumi was simmering in his agitation as Iketani and Itsuki watched racing videos during their break. They were completely mooning over the driver sliding around on the track, and Takumi honestly didn’t get the appeal. He wanted to go home and sleep, his back absolutely _ached_.

His molt had hit on Sunday at precisely the _wrong_ time, forcing Takumi to hold it off and repress it until he could get home, which wouldn’t be for another three hours. It had been messy, it had hurt, and it had left a massive scar down the back of his abdomen, a jarring, stark white compared to his black and red patterning. The whole thing left him achy, and irritable, and worse still, Yuichi knew about it, because his dad had told him. It made the young Jorōgumo feel self conscious, and was glad that it would mostly be gone after his next molt.

“Whooooa!” Itsuki’s excited voice cut through his hazy thoughts and pulled him back to the present. “This is so cool, Iketani! I can’t believe you have footage of Keiichi Tsuchiya, the one and only Drift King!”

“Why would that be surprising!?” Iketani suddenly demanded, looking both offended and confused, and Itsuki recoiled.

“People pay good money for footage like this, it’s probably really expensive!” there was a squeal from the footage, catching their attention once again. “Whoa!”

“It looks like he can control the car just by using the gas pedal.” Iketani commented, sounding vaguely dazed, and Takumi leaned back in his seat, ignoring the spike in pain from his back as he reached for a nearby magazine.

“Takumi!” Itsuki exclaimed. “Don’t you wish we could go out right now and drift just like this?”

“Mmm.” Takumi hummed as he finally grabbed the magazine and straightened himself in the chair. “Sure, whatever.”

“Oh, look at this drift! So cool!”

“Mmm.” he flipped open the magazine, ignoring as Itsuki let out an annoyed sigh.

“Takumi… are you even paying attention?”

“Vaguely.” he glanced up from his magazine to catch sight of what was probably the oddest expression he’d ever seen on Itsuki’s face yet.

“You just keep humming at me, do you even know what a drift is?”

“Yeah, probably.” he _should_ , from what he can see on the TV, he does the same thing every morning on Akina.

“Then why don’t you tell us, if you think you know.” Itsuki crossed his arms, sounding imperious, and Takumi rose a brow, his right eye twitching slightly.

“Okay?” Takumi closed his magazine and sat it in his lap. “So, in a curve-”

“Don’t say _curve_!” Itsuki interrupted harshly, causing Takumi to click a little in anger. Iketani paled a little at the sound. “It’s not cool. Street racers say _corner_.”

“Alright.” Takumi snapped evenly, causing Itsuki to shift back a little. “So, don’t quote me on this, in a _corner_ , you make the front tires slide so that the car doesn’t face the inside.” as he said this he raised his hands, mimicking how he’d grab the wheel and turn it in the 86. After he finished, the whole room was silent, Itsuki and Iketani blinking at each other, before they both exploded into rambunctious, howling laughter. Takumi felt his jaw clench, his fangs beginning to lengthen behind his closed lips, and began clicking.

“That’s a good one, Takumi!” Itsuki managed to say after a minute of laughter, tears pouring from his eyes. “If the front tires are sliding, it’s called _understeer_! It’s totally uncool, and for people with absolutely no skill!”

“True drift isn’t in the front,” Iketani tacked on. “It’s in the rear of the car! You’re a funny kid, Takumi.”

Yuichi watched quietly as Itsuki and Iketani cackled at Takumi’s response, listening to those eerily familiar, angry clicks as his mind swam.

 _‘Iketani and Itsuki are the ones who don’t seem to understand just what Takumi said.’_ he thought, feeling sweat begin to bead on his face as he repressed the urge to shift into a form closer to his true one. _‘While in the middle of a drift, the car is basically understeering. Takumi’s answer was highly advanced, one that only comes from those who’ve mastered the four-wheel drift.’_ he let out a small breath from his nose and talked forward, setting a hand on Takumi’s shoulder and catching the agitated spider’s attention.

“Good answer.” he said quietly, his tone very approving. “I’m impressed, kid.” Takumi relaxed a little at this, his clicking quieting down finally as he let out a small sigh. Before anything else could happen, the sound of a honking horn caught Yuichi’s attention, and he let Takumi go. “Alright, we have customers!” he exclaimed, causing Iketani to pause the video. “Everyone get to work!”

“Yes, sir!” they all exclaimed, Takumi being the first up and out. Doing the usual greeting as he guided the customer in, he observed the familiar yellow shade of the car’s paint and thought a little bit, hasn’t he seen that car before? A glance at Iketani let him know that the wolf sure has seen that car and that driver before. With a moment of working his way into a more passive state, he hurried over to the car window, recognition passing between him and the driver as he realized that this was the guy he saw on Akina last Saturday.

“High octane.” he said after a moment. “Fill her up.”

“Yes, sir.” as Takumi ran around to the back, he caught sight of what was probably the largest wing he’s ever seen in his life. Was it even a wing? His eye twitched as he turned and tried to ignore it, wing or not it was _ridiculous_. The next few minutes were quiet as he and Iketani worked, Takumi keeping an eye on the meter as it continued to climb up and up.

“You must be a real enthusiast.” Iketani finally said, causing the driver to look up at that. Takumi watched him look around for a moment.

“Huh.” he finally spoke. “I thought I recognized that S13. Say, can I ask you a question?” at Iketani’s vaguely agitated look, he explained. “You look like you’d know the answer to my question.” after a moment, Iketani let out a sigh.

“Sure, ask away.”

“Would there happen to be a ghost on Mt. Akina?” he asked seriously, causing Iketani to raise a brow. “One that happens to drive a super fast 86?” as Iketani quietly worked out how to respond, Takumi’s attention was brought back to the back of the bright yellow car.

 _‘Why would he need something this big?’_ he thought incredulously. _‘What, is he planning to fly away with this or something?’_ why did he feel like he’s seen this car more recently than Saturday night?

“Please don’t joke around with me, sir.” Iketani finally responded, sounding terse but not impolite. The driver chuckled a little.

“Well, the part about the ghost was a joke.” he conceded, sounding amused. “But I’m dead serious about the rest of it. I saw a ridiculously fast, black and white panda Trueno, right before the sun rose last Sunday.” Iketani’s attention turned back to him completely. “It looks just like any old 86 on the outside, but I bet that facade is hiding an incredible monster underneath. There’s no way in hell a local like you wouldn’t know about it.” Iketani remained silent at that, his expression irritated, and the driver huffed. “Alright, be that way. If that 86 is your secret weapon for this Saturday, then I’ll get just the thing I’ve been itching to have. You just tell that 86 driver that Keisuke Takahashi doesn’t lose to the same guy twice!” Iketani’s expression shifted a little, less angry and more surprised now. “The reason I lost last time is because I didn’t know the course, and got careless.” Keisuke’s voice was now angry, and rueful. “Make sure you tell him.”

“O-Okay.” Iketani finally responded, just in time for Takumi to pull the gas pump from the car. “I will.”

“Good.” as Keisuke paid for the gas, Takumi’s mind began to run. Never, in all the years he’s lived around here, has he seen a Trueno that hadn’t been his dad’s. Visibly spacing, he began puzzling it all out. He’d been doing the run on Sunday, did he pass this yellow car and not remember it or something? He remembered passing a lot of cars that morning, definitely more than usual.

The sound of the car’s engine pulled him from his thoughts as he watched it leave, Iketani seeing it off with a thoughtful, albeit nervous expression on his face, and right before the car could vanish down the road, he and Keisuke made eye contact once more. With a small groan, Takumi turned and began walking back towards the store, catching sight of Iketani suddenly turning and locking his gaze on him, a spooked look on his face. Something was wrong here, and he really didn’t know what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry for the delay! The Thanksgiving holidays rolled around here in the US and I was too stressed to do much writing, especially seeing as my laptop is a crashtastic mess, but I'm back. Mattias, my co-writer on the other hand, is currently struggling with a few things and as such likely won't be writing all that much, so chapters might come out slower than in volumes prior. I want him to focus on himself, though. His health, mental or otherwise, is more important to me than some silly little creature au. (Kiyana)


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which accidents happen, and old spiders begin to scheme

Takumi groaned sleepily as the rhythmic blare of his alarm clock pulled him from the depths of his slumber, a few of his limbs leaving the comfort of his blankets to mindlessly look for and silence the infernal thing. When a limb finally came into contact with it and turned it off, he let out a groan as he slowly opened an eye and turned his gaze towards it.

Fifteen minutes to four, just as always.

He sat the clock back down a little roughly and closed his eye, his limbs flopping as he released a tired sigh. As he lay there, his ears picked up the sound of hurried scuttling, the sound soft but growing closer. It soon stopped, and after a minute of silence, he felt two little limbs tap against his cheek.

 _“Master.”_ he heard Nejibana’s voice call quietly. _“It’s time to get up!”_

 _“I know, Bana.”_ Takumi mumbled into his pillows. _“I’ll be up in a second.”_ he turned his head to look at her with an eye, taking note of her new, but chipped fangs with a grimace. _“Why are you so eager to get me up this morning? You wanna tag along?”_ Nejibana chittered, sounding vaguely agitated.

 _“Don’t call me Bana.”_ was her first response, causing Takumi to let out an amused breath. _“And no, I don’t, not this time anyway. Your sire sent me up.”_

 _“Of course he did.”_ Takumi yawned once more and finally pushed himself up, pausing for a moment to stretch his limbs before standing completely and making his way towards the bathroom, Nejibana following behind him excitedly. Stopping before the sink and feeling Nejibana climbing up onto his abdomen, he turned on the cold water and dipped his hands in, getting them decently wet before he rubbed at his face, the panging chill waking him up the rest of the way. Looking into the mirror, he lightly pushed on one of his fangs, before turning away and heading down to the living room and out into the store.

 _“Good morning, kid.”_ he heard Tama greet from his web above the door. _“Is hatchling going with you today?”_

 _“No, I already asked.”_ Takumi responded easily enough, lifting Nejibana with a limb and setting her on the counter.

 _“I’ll go with him next time he drives the car!”_ Nejibana proclaimed excitedly.

 _“So, tomorrow morning then?”_ Bunta’s voice carried from the doorway as he walked in, the majority of his form hidden but his limbs still available. 

_“Yeah!”_ Nejibana bobbed around a little, and Bunta chuckled at the display.

 _“Alright then.”_ he turned away and started heading towards the back. _“The tofu’s already in the back of the car, kid.”_

 _“Alright.”_ shifting down to a more human form, Takumi picked up the keys from the counter, left the store, and walked towards the Trueno parked beside it. Giving it a light pat to the roof, he got in and started her up, rolling down the window as he waited for his dad to come back around. It was the same routine, Takumi would start the car, wait for a moment, and his dad would come back around with a cup of water for him. It wasn’t to drink during the delivery, his job was to make sure that not a single drop of water left that cup, no matter what.

As his mind began to wander, Bunta came outside, a full cup of water in his hands and Tama situated on his shoulder. He raised a brow when he caught sight of his kid, recognizing the zoned out expression on his face for what it was, and let out a vaguely exasperated huff as he continued forward. Knocking on the roof of the 86, he startled his kid out of his thoughts and handed him the cup without a word. Taking it, Takumi peered inside and paused, a vaguely confused expression coming over his face.

 _“This is a lot more than usual.”_ he commented passively, sitting the cup in the holder.

 _“You’ll be fine.”_ Bunta responded easily. _“Just don’t spill any.”_

 _“I know.”_ Takumi groaned. _“You tell me the same thing every morning.”_

 _“Just a reminder, kid.”_ Bunta chuckled, and Takumi rolled his eyes.

 _“Yeah, yeah. I’m off.”_ and with that and a small wave, he rolled up the window and pulled out of the alley, turning down the dark and empty road in the direction of Akina.

~0~

“You’re looking as sleepy as always, Takumi!” Itsuki chirped pleasantly as Takumi opened his locker.

“I can’t help that.” Takumi yawned, pulling his school shoes out. “I was born with this face.”

“Oi, Takumi.” Itsuki was suddenly leaning close as Takumi was putting on his shoes, causing him to lean away a little. “Don’t forget the 86 on Saturday.”

“I never agreed to that.” Takumi said firmly, putting his outside shoes away and closing his locker. “You’re so persistent, Itsuki. Lean away from me, you’re a little too close.” Itsuki leaned away with a huff.

“I have to be persistent!” Itsuki exclaimed. “If I’m not, you might forget, and back out on me!” Takumi felt his brow twitch, vaguely unsurprised that Itsuki ignored his previous statement as if he’d never said it. Itsuki let out an excited sound, his arms curling closer to himself. “Ah, Saturday, please come quickly! I’m so excited!”

“Itsuki, you’re yelling, again.” Takumi commented as he began to walk away, jumping a little as a hand latched onto his shoulder firmly.

“Hey, Takumi?” Itsuki asked, causing Takumi to look at him. “If both of us aim to become street racers, maybe someday we’ll be known as the fastest on Akina.”

“I really don’t care either way.” Takumi responded, sounding exasperated. “Please stop dragging me into your dreams.” Itsuki let out a dramatic sigh.

“Ah, the painful words of the hopeless.” he crooned, his tone vaguely smug. “After seeing you scream like a girl in the back seat of Iketani’s car, it’s obvious that you don’t have even an ounce of talent.” Takumi felt indigence build up in him at that and turned away, leaving Itsuki to ramble on about that as he headed towards the stairs. He was _not_ going to sit there and take that kind of treatment from a human, even if said human was his best friend. He would also pointedly ignore how Itsuki’s words actually kind of hurt to hear, even if he didn’t know why.

“Itsuki can ramble on about that without me.” he mumbled.

“Oi, Takumi!” Itsuki’s loud shout echoed towards him. “Don’t just leave me behind!”

“I’m not slowing down!” he called back as he started up the stairs, the sound of running footsteps quickly catching up to him.

“Gods, Takumi, did I strike a nerve or something?” Itsuki asked as he came into stride beside him, sounding slightly winded.

 _‘You can put it like that, yes.’_ Takumi thought to himself.

“Not really.” he lied, and Itsuki let out a disbelieving sound.

“Why’d you leave me behind, then? Aren’t you being a bit cold?”

“Not really.” Takumi repeated. Itsuki was silent beside him.

“Hey, if I actually did strike a nerve, I’m sorry.” he said quietly after a while.

“It’s fine.” Takumi sighed. “You just happen to get carried away. Often.” Itsuki let out a vaguely uncomfortable chuckle.

“Yeah…” Takumi let out a quiet breath, before turning to Itsuki with a pleasant expression on his face.

“Come on, let’s just get to class.”

~0~

Iketani grit his teeth as he ran Akina, his fangs nearly digging into his bottom lip and his amber eyes flashing angrily. As he cleared a corner, the rear end of his car swerved a bit, and he swore.

“Damn!” he growled. “It’s too tough. The corners that I’ve never thought of as corners are becoming more dreadful. Corners that I used to be so familiar with are now showing their fangs!” flying into a corner, he let out a choking sound when he slid too close to the rail for his comfort before straightening out. Sweat ran down Iketani’s face as he pressed the button on his stopwatch, eyeing the time on it with a desolate expression as he slowly came to a stop on the side of the road and turned on his hazard lights, getting out and sliding down the side to the ground. “Outsiders.” he whined, feeling the urge to press his ears against his head. “It’s no use, even if I push myself to the limit, I just can’t cut my times down. I thought giving it more throttle would help, but it’s just not that simple!” his head fell to his knees, the inside of his head filled with the sorrowful howls of his inner wolf. “Is this the limit of my technique? There’s no way I can compete with the RedSuns…”

Iketani was losing hope. There was only one thing he could think of at that moment that he could possibly do now.

~0~

Today was a particularly slow day, customer wise. The middle of the week usually was, with school being in session and most adults having their own jobs that needed their attention. Still, Tama half wished the daily traffic would pick up the pace, he was getting very bored. With a huff, Tama dangled a leg from his web above the doorway and let it limply sway, for once wishing his hatchling had stayed home so he’d have someone to, at the very least, bicker with while Bunta worked. He couldn’t damn well start up in a back and forth with his master at this time, what if a customer walked in?

The sound of the bell across from his web ringing caused Tama to perk and peer downwards at the door, the scent of wolf and nervousness wafting towards him in waves. The wolf peered around a little as he let the door close behind him, obviously more than a little hesitant about being here. Tama thought a little, wasn’t this the guy who’d been gawking at his master’s car last Sunday? What was it that he heard Takumi call him? He watched the wolf take in a deep breath, the scent of nerves beginning to fade away.

“Hello?” he called, and Tama could hear the distant sound of his master muting the television. “Excuse me!”

“I’ll be a moment!” Bunta called back. Tama tilted his head a little as he watched the wolf fidget and shift his stance, obviously uncomfortable having willingly walked into a spider’s den.

 _‘Iketani, that’s what Takumi called him, right?’_ Tama thought to himself, his gaze turning towards the doorway leading towards the living room as Bunta moved the cloth covering aside and strode into the store in his human form. The scent of nervousness rose once again.

“Welcome, what can I get you?” Bunta asked, stopping before the register as Iketani visible floundered for a moment.

“Ah, fried tofu, please.” he finally answered anxiously, Tama noticed the subtle shift in Bunta’s stance as he tried to make himself appear less threatening, having an anxious wolf in your nest only spells trouble.

“Coming right up.” Bunta said, and quickly got to work as Iketani visibly began to regather his nerve. After a moment’s pause, Iketani spoke up once more.

“Uh…” Bunta paused momentarily to let Iketani know he was listening. “My name’s Iketani. I’m with the Akina SpeedStars racing team. My boss at work, Yuichi, said that he knows the fastest driver on Akina drives an 86, and is the owner of a tofu shop. I’ve looked all over Shibukawa, and you’re the only one in the area who owns an 86.” Bunta let out an odd huff, Tama couldn’t tell if it was amused or not.

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that anymore.” Bunta answered easily. “My racing days are far behind me. Whatever you’re looking for, I doubt you’ll find it here.” he lifted a bag and turned towards Iketani. “Here you go, that’ll be a hundred and forty yen.” Iketani made an odd stuttery sound as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the exact change needed, handing it over after counting it. “Thank you.” Iketani stood there, looking a little unnerved, before opening his mouth again.

“Well, it’s still worth asking.” he said, catching Bunta’s attention again. “I’m kind of in a tough situation. Would you mind hearing me out?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, kid.” Tama almost laughed at the way Iketani’s posture turned irritated at being called a kid. “It’s the middle of the work day.”

“Well, I don’t see anyone else around here.” Iketani snapped irritably, causing Bunta’s expression to shift.

“Ouch, that’s pretty rude of you to say.” Bunta groused, and Iketani winced.

“Sorry, that was out of line.” he admitted sheepishly. “But I’m growing desperate. This Saturday, we’re set to race the Akagi RedSuns, it’ll be a time attack. We’re honored, but… the RedSuns have amazing drivers that have awesome technique. None of us can hold a candle to them, we’re not equipped for this. The thing is, we don’t want to lose! This is our mountain!”

“I understand what you’re getting at.” Bunta said honestly. “But what am I supposed to do about it? Teams handle their own problems.” Iketani shifted his stance at that, crossing his arms.

“I… do you think you could teach me how to properly tackle Akina?” the shop was silent at that as Bunta processed the request, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.

“That’s an impossible request.” he finally responded, causing Iketani to let out a vaguely alarmed sound.

“Not even tips to help make me any faster?” Iketani’s voice was starting to sound genuinely desperate, Tama was beginning to sympathize.

“I know how you feel, trust me I do.” Bunta began. “But driving technique cannot be improved in two or three days. In order to make your car do what you want, you have to think about it continuously, and practice constantly on your own.” Iketani wilted a little. “When I was still actively racing, I was tackling Akina even in my sleep. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but technique just isn’t something that can be taught. It’s something you have to find on your own.” Bunta completely turned towards Iketani. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t help you.”

“... It’s fine.” Iketani finally said, sounding resolute. “But I’ll be back eventually, you know. If I can’t find anything that’ll improve our chances on Saturday, I’ll be back.” and with that promise, Iketani turned and left the shop.

 _“Pushy kid.”_ Tama commented aloud as he heard a car start up and drive off. _“I have a bad feeling about that vow of his.”_ Bunta hummed and blew out a cloud of smoke.

“I don’t blame you.”

~0~

“WHAT!?” Itsuki’s alarmed, almost horrified shout caught Takumi’s attention almost instantly, causing him to look up from what he was doing. “Iketani got into an accident!?”

“Yeah.” Kenji responded, looking and sounding worried and anxious. He almost looked ill. “He hit a guardrail while running Akina last night.” Takumi turned his eyes to the gas meter and stopped the flow, pulling out the pump and putting it away before bowing at the customer in thanks as they drove off.

“Was he hurt?” Itsuki asked as Takumi straightened up and turned back towards them.

“Thankfully, not too badly.” Kenji responded. “He only has a few cuts and minor whiplash.” Takumi hurried over as he listened in. “But he’s extremely upset about the whole thing. I heard his car is trashed.”

“What does that mean for the meet on Saturday!?” Itsuki exclaimed, his expression and tone absolutely distressed. Kenji visibly wilted, his expression turning vaguely pained.

“It’s hopeless, even if we manage to secure a replacement for Iketani.” he said quietly, and for once, Itsuki was stunned silent. “We’re doomed.”

All the way across town, Iketani was walking into an auto body shop, his head bound and his neck in a brace.

“Welcome!” the attendant at the desk chirped politely as his eyes landed on Iketani, widening with alarm. “Oh, Iketani? Is it alright for you to be out and about right now?” Iketani chuckled quietly at the concern.

“Yeah, so long as I don’t throw myself around or make any sudden moves, I’m fine to be out.” his smile faded a little. “How… how’s my car?”

“We haven’t been able to do anything with her yet, but she’s out back in the garage. We don’t have the parts in yet, so it’ll probably be a bit of a wait until you can get her back.” Iketani’s expression shifted negatively, and the attendant let out a quiet breath. “Would you like to go see her?”

“...yeah.”

“Come on then.” with a wave of his hand, he led Iketani out back, ignoring the pained sound his friend let out at the sight of his car. He didn’t blame him for the reaction, it really was a painful sight. The spider web cracks on the windshield, the mangled front bumper, the bent and dented hood, the dried oil trails, it was a sight that could make any car lover cry. He watched without comment as Iketani slowly approached his car and knelt before it, rubbing a hand across the mangled bumper with a sad, and tired sigh.

It was hard to watch.

~0~

Tama heard the sound of an engine cut through the early afternoon silence, his eyes focusing as he tried to guess the kind without looking out the door. A moped, maybe? Whatever it was, it was no longer in motion. Adjusting his position within his web, he peered down and watched as a customer stepped in, he quickly recognized them to be the same wolf he had seen prior, though he was looking quite messed up. Takumi had told them he’d gotten in a crash, though it’d seem he didn’t know the full extent of it.

“Excuse me!” he called with a raised voice, pausing for a moment when the sounds of Bunta standing reached the both of them. “Fried tofu, please!”

“I’m coming!” Bunta called back, sounding vaguely tired, and the wolf took a moment to peer around, allowing Tama to catch a glimpse of sharp amber eyes. Despite knowing that Takumi had told the wolf about them, the old orb weaver still felt vague panic at the thought of being spotted. Tama’s gaze darted around, landing on a few obscure, out of sight runes that told him he and the rest of the nest were still nicely hidden from anyone who wasn’t a Jorōgumo in any capacity. Good. Bunta finally came into the store, pausing for a moment at the sight the wolf made while letting out a small inquisitive hum.

“Takumi said you’d gotten into an accident.” he finally said, continuing his trek into the store. “But he didn’t know anything besides the fact that your car got totaled.” Iketani winced at that, the pain still fresh. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“Thanks.” he responded quietly. Bunta took a few steps towards the counter, tilting his head slightly.

“That meet you were talking about is pretty soon.” he said. “What are you gonna do?” Iketani visibly prepared himself for his next words.

“I came to ask you a favor about that, Mr. Fujiwara.” Bunta rose a brow.

“A favor?”

“Yeah. Would you please drive in my stead?” Bunta’s usual neutral expression was suddenly warped my genuine surprise, a few clicks echoing from him in response, and that obviously wasn’t the response Iketani’d been looking for. “Please, Mr. Fujiwara, I beg you!” he made the motion to bow, freezing and letting out a sharp cry of pain as he moved to crouch in front of the counter, holding his neck. “Ouch, my neck!”

“Don’t die on me, kid. Not in my shop at least.” Bunta said blandly as he peered over the side at him, causing Iketani to chuckle awkwardly.

“I can only try, sir.” he responded shakily as he slowly stood back up, a hand still on his neck brace. “Still, I’m sure you know how a street racer feels, Mr. Fujiwara. I can’t just let the local drivers _lose_.” Bunta let out a quiet sigh.

“Kid, if someone my age went out there to race, he’d just be completely out of place.”

Iketani felt a growl build up in his chest, and wouldn’t be surprised if his eyes flashed amber to add emphasis to his words. “I grew up racing on Akina. Those Akagi RedSuns are making us all look like complete fools! I can’t stand it!” Tama watched his master’s brows raise a little at the wolf’s tone. “I want them to know and see that Akina has a street racer with true skill! You’re the only one who can do it, Mr. Fujiwara! From what I’ve heard, you’ve already defeated the RedSuns second!” Bunta let out a confused sound at that, his eyebrows raising all the way in his confusion. Iketani continued on before he could open his mouth, though. “I beg you, Mr. Fujiwara!” Bunta let out a vague uncomfortable sigh as he reached up and scratched at his temple.

 _‘Pushy indeed.’_ Tama thought. This situation might take a while to defuse. _‘He’s a little like the Grim master used to hang out and race with…’_

~0~

Yuichi let out an agitated groan at the sound of a honking horn outside the gas station, seriously wondering how people could see the lights off by the pumps and think the place was still open as he walked to the door and opened it.

“We’re already closed!” he yelled, feeling his eyebrow twitch when he caught sight of a very familiar 86 pulling up to him.

 _“Don’t be rude.”_ an equally familiar voice drawled from inside. _“High octane, fill ‘er up.”_ Yuichi scoffed at that, a wide grin crossing his face as he leaned against the car and peered in at his friend.

“How cheeky.” he chuckled. “You want me to put high octane in that 86?” Bunta could only scoff at that, pointedly ignoring Tama’s amused clicking as he shut off the car. Yuichi moved out of the way, watching as Tama hopped from the car and landed on the ground, clicking excitedly as he scuttled towards him. “Hello there, Tama. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he greeted, picking up the large orb weaver easily. Tama bobbed, still clicking excitedly. “I still can’t understand you, you know.”

 _“It’s good that you don’t.”_ Bunta grumbled as he exited his car, a couple of his limbs crossed. _“You’d never shut up about what he says otherwise. Those rumors about me would never end in that case.”_ Yuichi responded with a lighthearted chuckle.

“Well, now I’m really curious about what he has to say.” he retorted, causing Bunta to snort as he strode over to a stack of tires and sat on them.

 _“Oh, shut up.”_ he groaned, getting out a cigarette and lighting it. Yuichi followed suit and leaned against a nearby pillar, the two of them silent for a little as Tama wandered around the lot. _“It had to have been you.”_ Bunta finally spoke up, sounding vaguely amused.

“What had to have been me, you old spider?”

 _“Where else would that Iketani kid have heard a rumor about my 86?”_ Yuichi let out an amused huff.

“Of course, and it wasn’t a lie, either. What about it?” Bunta hummed.

 _“He stopped by the shop again today, with a bandage on his head and a neck brace. He asked me to race for him at that meet of his on Saturday.”_ he let out a scoff. _“Can’t really say I hate that kind of guy.”_

“If you don’t hate him, then why don’t you do it, huh?” Yuichi asked pointedly. “Iketani’s a good pup.”

 _“No.”_ Bunta said firmly. _“Thanks. I don’t wanna go sticking my nose into these kiddie fights. That’s just not my style.”_ Bunta looked over at his friend to see the most exasperated expression on his face, before it turned particularly sly.

“Kiddie fight, huh?” he drawled. “If that’s what it is, then it should be alright if a _kid_ shows up there, right?”

 _“Huh?”_ Bunta turned towards him completely. _“Are you saying you want Takumi to go?”_

“Well, yeah!” Yuichi grinned lopsidedly at him. “He’s gotten pretty good, right?” Bunta pondered that statement, turning back away to take a drag of his cigarette.

 _“He still has a ways to go…”_ he finally answered. _“If it’s Akina’s downhill, then there’s no way he’ll lose to anybody. Well, except me, of course.”_ Yuichi laughed at that.

“I see your competitive spirit hasn’t dulled after all this time.” Bunta let out an amused breath.

 _“I can only wonder where he got his stubborn nature from… but even if I order him to go, that won’t make him want to at all.”_ he brought the cigarette in front of his lips and took a final drag before tossing it. _“Well, because of those bandages on Iketani’s head, I’ll try to think of something.”_ he stood and stomped the cigarette out, Tama hurrying over towards him. Bunta stooped over and picked up his familiar. _“I can only hope Takumi’ll make it easy.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! It's been a hot minute. I've been meaning to write but looking at docs or even trying to write made me want to die so I avoided it like the plague for a few weeks. But that's hopefully over now. (Kiyana)


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the day of the race arrives, and the spider makes a decision

Ryousuke hummed to himself idly as he worked on his computer, looking over various graphs as he went along. It was quiet in the house, probably not surprising for how late it was getting, but he had the feeling that this silence wasn’t going to last for much longer.

“Hey, aniki?” Keisuke’s voice cut through the silence as he knocked on his bedroom door, causing Ryousuke to look up from his computer for the first time in hours. “I’m coming in.”

“Ah, Keisuke, good timing.” Ryousuke commented as his little brother strode into the room and seated himself on his bed. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Ryousuke swiveled in his chair to face Keisuke completely.

“That 86 you saw on Akina, can you describe the speed of the car, theoretically speaking?” Keisuke startled backwards a little at the question, looking very surprised and put out.

“Oh, give me a break.” he groaned, wilting. “I’m not good at that kind of stuff, aniki, you know that.” Ryousuke cracked a small, amused smile at that.

“Like I always say, the most important part of driving technique is right here.” he tapped on the side of his head with a finger. Keisuke idly scratched at his cheek.

“Well, whenever you battle somebody, you can stay behind them and learn whatever you want to know. From your opponent’s habits and weaknesses, to how well their suspension is set up, just from seeing one right and left turn. Your ability to analyze like that is almost scary, you know.” Ryousuke chuckled at that.

“Well, in my opinion, the fact that you can drive without thinking and still keep up with me means that you’re the one who’s truly scary. If you could apply theories to your skill, you’d be the ideal driver.” Keisuke’s expression shifted negatively at that, a quick enough reaction that Ryousuke began wondering what he’d said to cause such a response.

“I lost to that damn 86 because I didn’t know the road, and I was careless.” Keisuke growled, a bit of a relief to Ryousuke knowing it hadn’t been something he said. “I’ve never been disgraced like this before.” Keisuke’s posture tensed a little. “That unassuming 86 must be hiding quite the monster beneath its hood.”

“Oooh.” Ryousuke breathed, sounding vaguely excited. “A monster, you say? This is getting more interesting by the minute…” he trailed off as he turned back towards his computer, his gaze calculating. “You know what, Keisuke? The meet is tomorrow. Maybe I should go and watch you race after all.”

~0~

Takumi stared out the window blankly as the bell rang, leaning on his arm and half listening to Nejibana click and hum to herself from her spot in his shirt pocket. His mind was on a lot of things, but a thought he continued to come back to was that his father had been acting… off, lately. Well, more than off, especially after-

“Takumi!!” Takumi’ll have to finish that thought later as Itsuki came in shouting, running over with an excited gleam in his eyes. “Saturday has arrived!”

“Yeah?” Takumi said blandly, setting his arm down. “What about it?” Itsuki let out a sort of wounded, choking cough at that, recoiling dramatically.

“What do you mean, what about it!? Today’s the meet with the Akagi RedSuns!” Takumi winced at the mention of it. “You promised that you’d borrow the 86 and we’d go watch, right?”

“I did no such thing.” Takumi huffed. “But seeing as you’re bound and determined to ignore that, I have no choice in the matter.” he let out a put out sigh. “This is getting too complicated.”

“What do you mean, complicated?” Itsuki sounded mutinous. “You better not be implying that you don’t have the time…”

“That’s not it at all, Itsuki-”

“If you back out at the last minute, you can kiss our friendship goodbye!” Itsuki turned away at this, lucky to miss the hurt and taken aback expression that crossed Takumi’s face, his eyes flashing an angry red for a moment in response to his emotions. “Every day I’ve counted the days on my fingers, waiting for today.”

“I know you have.” Takumi said firmly, his tone harsh, causing Itsuki to recoil. “You talk about it to me every day.” they stared at one another in silence, before Takumi let out a tired sigh and put his head down. “Just, go sit down, Itsuki. Class is about to start. We can talk about this later.” hesitantly, Itsuki nodded and walked over to his desk, taking a moment to glance back at him with a vaguely worried expression before sitting down. 

_“He’s very pushy, Master.”_ Nejibana commented quietly, and Takumi groaned.

First, his dad came to him, acting weird and telling him to race today, and now this? He just wanted the day to end.

~0~

“Fried tofu, please!” Iketani’s voice startled Tama awake, the old spider nearly falling from his web as he struggled to right himself.

“Oh, it’s you again.” Bunta said in lieu of a greeting, setting a hand on the back of his head as he tilted it. “You just don’t give up, do you?” he let out a small groan and got out a cigarette as Iketani opened his mouth. “I know why you’re here, kid.” he lit the cigarette and took a drag. “I might do it.”

“Huh?” Iketani looked genuinely taken aback.

“I might do it, that’s what I said.” he turned to look at the wolf. “Even if I don’t, I still plan on being on Akina tonight.” Iketani was stunned silent for a moment, before he jumped excitedly.

“You mean it!?” he let out a choke and practically collapsed, his left hand gripping the counter. “Ow… damn it.”

“What’d I say about dying in my shop.” Bunta intoned blandly.

“To not, or at least take it outside.” Iketani groaned as he pulled himself back up, his left hand rubbing against his neck brace in an effort to alleviate some of the pain. “Are you really going to come to the meet tonight?”

“I can’t say for certain.” he took another drag of his cigarette. “I would say that there’s about a fifty percent chance that I’ll be there to race. Just what time do you guys start, anyway?”

“We start gathering on Akina at eight o’clock, the time attack begins at ten.”

“Ten, huh?” Bunta let out a thoughtful sigh as he turned away. “Well, if an 86 hasn’t shown up by ten, then you should give up on waiting and do it on your own.”

“That’s all I need!” Iketani exclaimed excitedly. “ I have faith that you'll definitely come, Mr. Fujiwara!"

“Again, it’s not definite. I might not even show up at all.” Bunta’s tone was starting to border exasperated, it was something Tama had only heard him use when speaking to Yuichi and, at times, Takumi.

“And I understand that, but that won’t stop me from holding out hope. We’ll be waiting for you at ten, atop Akina!” and the pup hurried out of the shop in excitement, even forgetting to grab the fried tofu. Tama watched quietly as his master turned towards the window and watched him drive off, his face blank for a few moments before he let out an amused breath and grinned.

“It’s hard to be cold to an eager kid like him, Tama.” he said aloud, causing his familiar to bob in agreement. “If Takumi doesn’t do it, you think I should go instead?” as he said this, a slightly surprised expression came over his face as he processed what he said.

 _“You’re getting worked up about this.”_ Tama commented. _“Maybe-”_

“No…” Bunta interrupted him. “I really shouldn’t. Getting worked up about racing again after all these years isn’t something an old spider should be doing out of the blue.”

~0~

Idly listening to your team babble on about a race that didn’t really concern them was pretty common, Takeshi would like to think. Keeping tabs on rival teams and knowing their win to loss ratio helped with things. Though, the RedSuns had been the topic of discussion far too much recently.

“What do you guys think is going to happen at the battle today?” he heard someone ask excitedly.

“So far, the RedSuns have won every battle they’ve been in.” someone else replied.

“From what I’ve seen, the outcome is already obvious.” Takeshi chimed in. “Akina will be totally defeated. They’ll secure themselves as the fastest there, but they’re nowhere near taking the title of the fastest team in Gunma. No, that title belongs to us, the Myogi NightKids.” a mischievous smile was starting to take form on his face as someone at the table cleared their throat.

“Takeshi, the gathering is going to start soon. We should head out.”

“Right.” setting down his cup, Takeshi stood from his seat. “Let’s go.” he didn’t look back to see if his team was following him as he walked out, and didn’t really need to. The trek out to his car wasn’t a long one, though he paused by his team sticker to silently appreciate his vehicle.

 _‘The R32…’_ he thought quietly, setting a hand on it’s roof. _‘A true thoroughbred of a car.’_ a dark smile flashed across his face. _‘There’s no way in hell I’ll lose to Akagi’s dumb rotaries.’_

Yuichi, blocks away, watched car after car drive towards the mountain, feeling vague worry bubble in his chest.

“Akina is lit up like a festival tonight.” he commented idly. “Rumors about this battle between Iketani’s team and Akagi’s fastest must have spread like wildfire.” turning away from the doors, he walked over towards one of the sofas and sat down, getting out a cigarette and lighting it. “I wonder which side will win. Bunta said he’d convince Takumi to race tonight, and I’ve never seen that thing lose to many people.” he let out an amused sigh, a grin splitting his face and showing off his sharp teeth. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten this excited over a race.”

~0~

Kenji felt incredibly nervous, almost to the point of looking ill as he gazed around at the bystanders piling around on the mountain.

"There's so many people here…" he said quietly. "I've never seen this big a crowd on Akina before."

"They're only here because of the RedSuns." Iketani muttered ruefully. "If we lose tonight, we'll be humiliated." they were silent for a moment. 

"Iketani… is that 86 you keep talking about even real?" one of his teammates asked.

"Of course, I've seen it with my own eyes." Iketani responded, causing Kenji to click his tongue.

"I don't have any faith in that 86, Iketani." he groaned. "I heard that Keisuke Takahashi's FD3S is lightly tuned for mountain driving, and puts out over three hundred and fifty horsepower despite it. The power difference is just too great."

"Yeah!" another teammate chimed in agreement. "Even on the downhill, there's no way an 86 can compete! Iketani, are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard?" Kenji heard a quiet growl rise from his friend at the pointed question.

"I get the point you're making." he said, sounding slightly angry. "An 86 is an 86. But I get the feeling that this is no normal 86. Besides, I heard Keisuke Takahashi say it himself, on the outside, it’s a normal looking panda Trueno, but on the inside, it’s a monster machine.” a firm, resolute expression came over Iketani’s face as he spoke and looked around at the small crowd surrounding him. “Trust me. I’m sure he will come.”

“B-but, what if he doesn’t?” Kenji asked, clearly not sure about Iketani’s answer.

“Well… there’s a huge crowd here. If we back out now, it will spread that the SpeedStars ran away, and we can’t have that. So we have to send someone for the sake of our team’s pride…” he took a little pause to think. “Kenji, you do it. If he doesn’t show, you have to represent our team, and drive like hell!” Kenji let out an odd, choked gulp at that and started to sweat, visibly unnerved by that answer.

“You have to be joking.” he said shakily. Everyone was completely silent at that, allowing the slightly familiar sound of rotary engines to make their way to Iketani’s ears.

“Hey, a bunch of cars are coming!” a teammate exclaimed.

“You can hear the rotaries!” another tacked on. They all stared down the road for a second, watching as the train of RedSuns cars came into view, led by the Takahashi brothers.

“The RedSuns! Is it eight already?” Kenji’s tone was close to a whine, Iketani wondered if he was going to freak out. He listened to his team’s excited, yet anxious, whispers and exclamations as the line of cars came ever closer, and not for the first time in the last week, he felt the urge to shift and run, to get rid of some of this pent up nervousness and energy. The quiet whining in his head was of no help whatsoever. All he could do was to wait for Bunta Fujiwara to show up. The line of cars came to a stop and the first out was Ryousuke Takahashi, causing the majority of girls in the crowd to yell and squeal excitedly. The pitch of those squeals cause Iketani to wince a little. Keisuke emerged next, and though their reaction was a little muted after having already done it once, those girls still let out more sounds.

“Wow…” he heard a teammate say beside him. “The Takahashi brothers are so popular.”

“I heard that their father owns a big hospital in Takasaki.” another chimed in.

“We can’t win against the rich…” Kenji bemoaned. “Driving skill is determined by how much you can spend on gasoline and tires.” Iketani firmly ignored that as the Takahashi brothers looked in his direction, their eyes widening a little as they took in his appearance. They looked at each other for a moment, before walking over to one of their teammates and having a quick chat. Iketani recognized him as the man who’d spoken to them the Saturday prior. After a few moments, he strode over alone.

“Let’s just get straight to business.” he said as he came to a stop, prompting Iketani to nod as much as he could without hurting himself. “Let’s begin the time attack at ten o’clock, according to schedule. That should make this easier on all of us, since it’s late and there aren’t many other cars on the road. We’ll use radios at the start and finish points in order to time the runs. In order to allow the drivers to run full-bore and as fast as they want, officials will be placed at the blind corners, and in the event of oncoming traffic, we will use lights to signal the driver.”

“I see.” Iketani responded quietly.

“Seems like they’ve done this a lot.” he heard Kenji mutter behind him.

“Yeah, they probably do time attacks everywhere.” a teammate responded.

“Well, now that I’ve said that, let’s enjoy some free runs until ten.” an easy smile crossed his face. “The galleries are packed.” Iketani nodded at that and everyone scattered to their cars, though the RedSuns member stayed behind as everyone else drove down into the pass. “With all that out of the way, I can’t help but ask, are you able to race?”

“No, I have to refrain from doing anything strenuous on the body until I’m healed.” he winced. “Not to mention my car is totaled.” he shifted his weight onto a different foot. “But, I’ve secured a replacement, if that means anything.”

“That means everything.” he responded, looking vaguely relieved. “Thank you for answering my question, even if it was slightly personal.” with a small, thankful nod, he hurried off back to his team, immediately waylaid by the Takahashi brothers, the younger of which obviously asking questions. Iketani let out a deep sigh, before turning and walking back to the side, hoping to sit for a second, but as he did so, something struck him as odd. That RedSuns member smelled like a bird.

Why did he smell like a bird? Why didn’t he notice it before? Slowly, he turned and locked his gaze on the man, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Something was up, and he didn’t like that he didn’t know exactly what it was.

On the other side of the lot, Keisuke had just finished with his questions and was visibly put out, though relieved.

“Thank you, Fumihiro.” Ryousuke said honestly. “We were worried.”

“I could tell.” Fumihiro chuckled. “Though, Keisuke looks more _angry_ than concerned.” Ryousuke turned towards his brother and let out an amused breath.

“He’s like that naturally.” he responded, and Fumihiro let out an odd chirp of a laugh before walking off. “Keisuke, what’s on your mind?”

“That 86 isn’t here.” he huffed.

“I can only wonder why.” Ryousuke crossed his arms. “Do they intend to conceal their secret weapon until the last moment?” he pondered on that for a second. “Do we even know if the 86 is even on their team?”

“Of course we do.” Keisuke looked at him with a raised brow.

“Did we hear that from them, or just come to conclusions?” at that question, Keisuke quieted down and actually started to think.

Did they actually know?

~0~

Takumi sighed as he got up, a slight hunger having settled in his gut, and started his trek downstairs, Nejibana hitching a ride on his abdomen. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he glanced at the clock, five minutes to nine.

 _“Hey kid.”_ his father greeted without even looking at him, his eyes locked on the television. _“You starting to feel like going?”_

 _“Sure, but I don’t really want to.”_ he replied, making his way towards the kitchen.

 _“Why not? You think you’re gonna lose or something?”_ Bunta sounded vaguely amused. _“Just drive like you normally do, and you won’t lose.”_ Takumi groaned and rolled his eyes as he opened one of the cabinets.

 _“Why don’t you want to go, Master?”_ Nejibana asked quietly, Takumi didn’t respond for a second.

 _“I just don’t want to.”_ he answered, pulling down a bowl. _“You know I only drive for deliveries. I just don’t find it at all fun. Besides, something feels_ off _about this particular drive.”_

 _“Why not give it a chance to be fun, though?”_ Nejibana’s question caused Takumi to pause in his actions. _“Who knows, maybe you’ll find this driving to be fun, even if you find it odd."_

_"I dunno, Bana-"_

_"And,"_ Nejibana plowed through Takumi's statement. _"Maybe this could help us understand what that human of yours likes to yell about, if even a little."_ Takumi was silent for a swath of time at that, motionless in the kitchen as he thought. After a while, he let out a defeated sigh.

 _"Alright. Fine. Let's go."_ Nejibana began clicking excitedly as her master put the bowl back and made his way back out into the living room, where his father was in the middle of getting up, the television switched off.

 _“It’s about time you finally came around, kid.”_ he said.

_“Dad?”_

_“I’m coming with you. I did tell that wolf I’d be there, even if it wasn’t to race.”_

~0~

Takeshi was silent as he watched the RedSuns practice, able to hear the roars of rotary engines growing ever closer.

“Ah! There it is! It’s the FD3S!” he heard someone yell, and true to word that flashy yellow FD came into view and cleared the corner faster than most of the cars out here.

“Such a fast entry speed! So cool! Man, the FD is agile!” a bystander yelled excitedly.

“Oh! Here comes the FC!” he watched silently as the FC came into view and came into the corner faster than the FD, causing bystanders to scatter even though he cleared the corner without any issue. Takeshi let out an amused huff.

“That’s Ryousuke Takahashi for you.” he commented. “His skill is the real thing.” he continued watching as the two cars entered the next corner together, barely even a foot apart as they drifted.

“So cool!!” someone yelled. “They can get so close without hitting?”

“That’s their signature Parallel Drift!” someone else chimed in.

“It’s harder to pull off than they make it look.” Takeshi started up. “Approaching the other car is the toughest part. During the drift, if you lack the skill to freely change your speed and line, then you can’t do it.” he glanced at some of his teammates, noting their blank expressions with irritation. “But, this is just a performance. Driving for the time attack is going to be completely different.”

Not too far away, Keisuke Takahashi was stewing in his fury as he ran the course, his grip on the wheel tight in his agitation.

 _‘You still haven’t come, Ghost of Akina.’_ he thought to himself ruefully. _‘My only opponent tonight is you. I refuse to race anyone but you! Come out and face me, 86!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Here's to 2020, and a hopefully good year full of good things for everyone! (Kiyana)


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a certain FD driver basically throws a bit of a fit over the 86

Keisuke was in no mood for idle chit chat as he waited for his car’s tires to be changed and the engine looked over, his eyes locked moodily on the SpeedStars on the other side of the lot. Their leader was off to the side, bordered by two other members as they curiously watched the RedSuns mechanics hurry around. Letting out an agitated huff, Keisuke looked away from them as he heard the sound of a hood being closed.

“Alright! It’s ready to go any time, Keisuke.” the mechanic working on his car said cheerfully, snapping Keisuke from his thoughts.

“Huh?” he blinked and looked at his car. “Oh, uh… thanks, Tomiguchi. Say, is it past ten yet?” Tomiguchi blinked at him, a little confused, before looking at his watch.

“Ah, not quite, it’s about nine fourty.” Keisuke let out an impatient huff as the roar of an engine filled his ears, one of his teammates rushing past towards the course.

“Dammit!” he snapped quietly, striding towards Ryousuke, who was leaning against his FC with his eyes closed. “It’s still not here! Aniki, that 86 really pisses me off. I was so convinced it would be here to represent Akina… damn, was I ever wrong! I’ve lost all my enthusiasm! Now I’m just angry. I’ll go for best time, alright. I’m going to absolutely humiliate them for this. If I don’t, I’ll never be able to calm down.” as he rambled on angrily, he completely missed the vaguely worried expression on his brother’s face. Ryousuke hasn’t seen his brother this worked up and angry in a long time, not since he’d dragged him into racing like he had.

He found it concerning.

The sound of a moped reached his ears, and Ryousuke turned in time to see someone on a small red scooter pull in, being met by a few vaguely irritated SpeedStars members as the rider, a young male, exclaimed something about being ditched and feeling lucky that he made it in time to watch. Noticing that it was suddenly quiet beside him, he turned to see Keisuke staring at the loud boy with a raised brow.

“Thoughts?” Ryousuke questioned, causing Keisuke to jump.

“Huh?” at his small gesture towards the moped, Keisuke snorted. “I don’t really have any thoughts on that, he’s just loud.” his eyes drifted away at that, a small spark of disappointment flashing in them, and Ryousuke knew that Keisuke wasn’t being entirely truthful. Before he could open his mouth, he watched Fumihiro step into the road and look at his watch, a walkie talkie in his raised hand. He heard the channel on his own walkie flare to life.

 _“This is the starting line.”_ Fumihiro’s voice said calmly. _“Is everyone ready?”_ as more voices from down the pass began to chime in on the channel, Keisuke let out a huff and started towards his own car.

 _“This is the finish line.”_ he heard one of his teammates say. _“Everyone is in their designated positions. You can start at any time!”_

 _“Roger.”_ Ryousuke watched quietly as Fumihiro turned towards the leader of the SpeedStars and began talking to him, before everyone scattered.

At the starting line, Keisuke was impatiently tapping at his wheel with his fingers as his opponent finally pulled up beside him, a nervous male who looked like he might be ill as he shook a little. Keisuke scoffed.

“You’ve _got_ to be kidding.” he grumbled at Fumihiro. “ _That’s_ my opponent?”

“He’s apparently all they’ve got, Keisuke.” Fumihiro replied as Keisuke watched his opponent speak with his team nervously. “Just think of it as a warm up for the next battle.” he pat Keisuke’s shoulder before walking in front of the cars. “Alright, we’ll start the countdown!” all of the bystanders scattered as Keisuke scoffed angrily and swore under his breath. “Ten seconds-”

 _“WAIT!”_ someone yelled over the walkie, causing Fumihiro to fall silent in surprise. _“Wait a minute! This is the finish line, a regular car just passed us and went up there! I don’t think you want to pass it during the race. Should we wait until it reaches the top?”_

“Damn it, this is a public road!” Keisuke groaned loudly. “There’s always going to be regular cars! Forget about it, let’s just start!”

“Wait a second!” someone yelled, and Keisuke turned a furious eye towards the leader of the SpeedStars. “Did he say at all what make the car heading up here was?”

“No?” Fumihiro responded, looking confused.

“Could you ask him, please?” Keisuke blinked a little, confused as Fumihiro caved and asked.

_“Make of the car? What do you wanna know that for?”_

“Just answer the question.”

 _“Alright, jeez. It was a car with flip-up lights, I think. It looked like a Trueno, an 86…”_ Keisuke nearly snarled at those words, resisting the urge to grin ferally as he glances back at his brother, taking in the visibly surprised expression on his face before reaching out of his car.

“Give that to me!” he demanded, causing Fumihiro to jump in surprise and pass him the walkie quickly as he pressed down on the button. “What color was that 86!?”

 _“Why are you guys so worked up about some old 86?”_ the man on the other end asked shakily. _“I-It was black and white, a Panda Trueno.”_ a shocked silence spread throughout the lot.

“He came…” the leader of the SpeedStars broke the silence. “Gods, he actually came!” Keisuke could no longer hold back his grin as he began to chuckle.

“He finally showed up!” he muttered excitedly. “My prey!”

“Keisuke?” Fumihiro’s voice caught his attention. “What do we do? Is it okay to begin the countdown?”

“Not yet!” Keisuke almost snarled. “We’re waiting until that 86 gets up here! My _real_ opponent shouldn’t be that 180 next to me. Right?” he turned his attention to the leader of the SpeedStars, who looked ridiculously relieved as he nodded as much as he could in a neck brace.

“That’s exactly right.” he agreed, turning to look at his teammate. “You hear that, Kenji? You’re off. Get back with the others.”

“Oh, thank gods.” Kenji let out a sigh of relief. “I couldn’t have won, Iketani, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“I know, now shoo. You look like you’re about to cry.”

“You do too, you idiot!”

“At least I have a more valid reason than you do, I thought he wasn’t going to hold his promise to me!” _that_ caught Keisuke’s attention, Ryousuke’s too, a glance at his brother told him. “I got him to promise me that he’d stand in for us this one time, and he’s actually here to help protect the pride of Akina’s street racers. It’s such a relief. Now I don’t care whether or not we win. I’m just glad I could convince him to race.”

~0~

Takeshi watched silently as the sound of an engine picked up from around a corner, and an 86 came into view, heading towards the top at a decent pace. As it entered the corner, Takeshi could hear the tires squeal against the pavement a little, and his eyes widened as he saw it. It had only been for but a moment, but he would have to have been blind to not catch it.

Flowing in an invisible breeze had been a lick of a calm and collected flame of blue aura. It was nothing like the excited, dark electric blues of Keisuke Takahashi, or the analytical, calm, powerful blues of Ryousuke Takahashi, this was something entirely different. It vaguely reminded Takeshi of an ocean.

As quick as the 86 has appeared, it was gone up the road. He narrowed his eyes.

“Takeshi?” one of his teammates asked, sounding vaguely worried and confused. “Are you alright? What’s up?”

“... the driver of that car has nice technique.” he responded easily, causing everyone to let out a confused sound. “The way the back end of that 86 moved when it pulled out of the corner, it was a nice touch.”

“Takeshi, what are you on about?” another teammate asked, causing Takeshi to look at them with a raised brow.

“Did you not see it?”

“I mean, we did… but…” his teammate trailed off and turned his eyes to another.

“To us, that just looked like a regular old 86 with some brat driving it.” the other finished. Takeshi let out a patient breath.

“I shouldn’t be surprised.” he drawled, turning back towards the road. His hand twitched as he felt something furry brush against it, but didn’t turn to look, knowing nothing would be there. “A car driven by a street racer who is at a level where he can maneuver it as easily as his own hands and feet is rare to come across these days. There’s a certain aura about a car like that. Ryousuke Takahashi’s driving has a very powerful, analytical aura, while his younger brother’s, while still fairly weak, is excited and electrical. But that 86 was giving on a very strong aura. Granted, it was almost as weak as Keisuke Takahashi’s, but it screamed with experience. If _he’s_ the one representing Akina tonight, then I have no clue who the winner will be. Both sides have an equal chance, now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter today, but that's fine. Next chapter will be the race, of course. So excited.
> 
> My co-writer has been working on his own projects recently, visualizer videos, and as such hadn't been writing much. (Kiyana)


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the race falls underway, many shocks are had by the audience, and something vaguely ominous ends the act

Iketani felt like howling triumphantly as he and everyone else waited excitedly for the 86 to arrive, his instincts running wild as he began to nervously rub at one of his arms, willing himself to calm down before he shifted in front of everyone around him.

 _‘He’s almost here.’_ he thought to himself, almost unable to believe it. _‘He really came. The fastest man on Akina’s downhill! The legendary super technician!’_ he turned his gaze towards the Takahashi brothers, watching silently as Keisuke leaned against his FD, his arms crossed and his right foot tapping against the ground agitatedly as his older brother peered down the road curiously from beside him. _‘We’ll show the Takahashi brothers Akina’s real strength!’_

Keisuke himself was practically an agitated mess, his excitement rolling off him in waves as he tapped his foot anxiously in an effort to disperse some of his energy, before he exploded. He didn’t need to look to know that Ryousuke was hovering beside him, probably to make sure he didn’t run off and do something stupid with his built up energy.

 _‘Come on, 86!’_ he thought excitedly, his mind fixated on the fact that finally, _finally_ , he was going to face the one opponent who’d managed to race off with his thoughts and pride at the same time. _‘Oh, I’m deeply looking forward to seeing who steps from the driver’s side of that car! It’s been a long time since I’ve been so excited!’_

Ryousuke glanced at his little brother, seeing him visibly repress his urge to grin wildly as he watched the road intently.

 _‘I can only wonder why he kept us waiting for so long…’_ he mused idly, curiosity about this mysterious 86 and it’s driver building up within him even further. _‘It seems like a preplanned strategy, but such things don’t work on me. I’ll be watching you very closely.’_ there was a squeal of tires, and shortly after a pair of headlights appeared from around the corner, the 86 he heard Keisuke growl about for the past week _finally_ coming into view. He heard the RedSuns around him break out into confused and discontented whispers as the 86 slowed to a crawl and turned around, parking so it was facing downhill as more than one person shifted from within the car.

“... goes wrong, this is your fault.” he heard someone say as the passenger door opened first, the voice sounding vaguely tired and quiet but still carrying.

“Yeah, yeah.” the passenger responded as he stepped out, revealing himself to be a middle aged man, likely in his late forties. Ryousuke heard a small commotion off to the side and watched the leading party of the SpeedStars begin to weave their way through the crowd towards them. The driver side door opened, and as the one behind the wheel stepped out, Keisuke suddenly shifted his stance. Taking a glance at his younger brother, he caught sight of recognition in his eyes, he’d seen this boy before. Glancing back, he took in the blank, almost bored expression on his face as his eyes scanned around at the crowd, his chest heaving slightly in a sigh.

Keisuke’s mind was running wild as his eyes remained locked on the brunet he’d seen last Saturday, both enthralled and bewildered to know that _he’d_ likely been the one who had outraced him only a week ago. He didn’t seem the type to race, not after looking so thoroughly bored with what had been happening around him.

“I still don’t know why you want _me_ to do this, but I already said I would.” he heard him say nervously, and watched as the older male nodded at him.

“Hey, Takumi!” he heard the leader of the SpeedStars exclaim, sounding surprised. “What are you doing driving the car?”

“He’s driving so I won’t be.” the older man answered for him, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes as he spoke.

“What? But, Mr. Fujiwara, you said-”

“I know what I said, kid.” the older man, Fujiwara, interrupted. “And I also said that there was a chance that I wasn’t going to race, but would be here anyway. I didn’t go back on my word and you can’t say I did.”

“Wouldn’t that mean you’re having _Takumi_ race instead?” at Fujiwara’s nod, he let out what almost sounded like a howl of distress. “But what good is any of this if you're not the one behind the wheel?!”

“I’m gonna pretend like I didn’t hear that.” Takumi commented blankly.

“What are we gonna do, Iketani?” he heard someone speak, Ryousuke recognized the voice as the one who’d almost raced his brother, Kenji, he thinks Iketani had called him. “This isn’t like what you said at all!”

“This means Kenji has to race after all.” someone else commented, and Ryousuke watched as Takumi’s expression turned a little sour, obviously disliking all of the upset whispering. He shot that expression at who Ryousuke was beginning to believe was his father, who only shrugged at him as he took a drag of his cigarette, his own expression not anything even close to the neutral it had been when they first arrived.

“How about you guys hush and see for yourself how Takumi races.” his voice cut through all of the whispers, causing them to die down. “He _is_ my kid, after all. I wouldn’t be sending him out, if I _didn’t_ believe in him.” Iketani looked a little taken aback by that, as though he hadn’t accounted for that in his reaction, before turning his eyes to Takumi.

“... If he believes in you, then can you really beat Keisuke Takahashi tonight?” Takumi turned his eyes to peer at Keisuke, recognition flaring in his own, and tilted his head a little.

“Well… I can’t be sure until we really race… but, I _have_ beaten him once before, according to his own words.”

“You’ve beaten him once before?” Iketani parroted, sounding vaguely alarmed. Takumi turned his gaze back to his father.

“You’ll owe me something for this race, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, whatever.” his father waved him off. “Just teach that punk a lesson or two.” Ryousuke felt Keisuke bristle at those words as Takumi turned back towards Iketani.

“So, if you’ll let me, I’ll win. No matter what.” the SpeedStars were stunned silent, the new lack of sound allowing a much quieter voice to catch Ryousuke’s attention. Turning to see what was happening, he caught sight of the loud male from before, who was quickly making his way through the crowd.

“Excuse me… excuse me…” coming to stand in front of Takumi with a vaguely uncomfortable chuckle, there was a pause for a second. “Takumi, you idiot!” at that shout, a few things happened in rapid succession. The loud male raised his hand, Takumi noticed it immediately and winced, and Takumi’s father grabbed the loud boy’s wrist before he could strike, preventing any needless violence. It only took seconds to play out.

“Let’s not get violent, Itsuki.” the older man grumbled, obviously unamused. Itsuki pulled his arm away and gripped Takumi’s shirt, looking both outraged and horrified.

“Takumi, just how stupid are you?!” he shouted, causing Takumi’s expression to turn vaguely exasperated, obviously this happened often. “I’m so embarrassed watching you that I’m _blushing_! How could you interfere with the race like this?! You shouldn’t be here!”

“Itsuki-” Iketani began to speak, obviously trying to get a word in, but Itsuki continued on.

“You’re such an idiot!” he turned towards Iketani. “Iketani, I’m so sorry! He’s so stupid that he doesn’t understand anything-”

“Itsuki, shut up!” Iketani snapped, causing Itsuki to immediately fall silent. “You’re just pissing some people off.” a glance at Mr. Fujiwara confirmed Iketani’s statement very easily. “Takumi… do you, by any chance, deliver tofu _alongside_ your father?” Takumi looked vaguely taken aback by the random question.

“No.” he responded quickly enough. “I’ve done the deliveries alone for the past five years.”

“The past five years!?”

“Yeah, why do you ask?” silence took over their conversation, Itsuki looking back and forth between them, deeply confused.

“... I understand it now.” Iketani grinned sharply, obviously relieved by his conclusions, as he placed his hands on Takumi’s shoulders. “All right. I’ll put you in charge of the downhill race.” Itsuki let out an alarmed sound as he swatted Iketani’s arms away from Takumi and put himself between them.

“What are you talking about, Iketani?!” he cried. “If a novice like Takumi tries the Akina downhill, he’ll die!”

“I’d like it if you would stop talking so badly about my son!” Mr. Fujiwara finally snapped, smoke flowing from his nose as he continued on. “You just shut up and watch my son race from the sidelines. He hasn’t caused a single crash once in all the time he’s been running deliveries, so why would he start now!?”

“You heard him, Itsuki.” Iketani said cheerily, grabbing Itsuki by the arm and guiding him back towards the crowd. “Don’t worry about it. He’ll be fine!” gently pushing the loud boy into the crowd, Iketani turned and began speaking to Takumi in a tone too quiet for him to hear before turning to face them. “I’m sorry that we kept you waiting.”

“Finally!” Keisuke groaned, pushing himself off of his FD as he locked eyes with his opponent. “I was getting tired of waiting.” he tilted his head a little as he looked over him. “You’re pretty young for a racer. What’s your name?”

“Takumi Fujiwara.” Takumi greeted, sounding blank but not at all rude with his response.

“I’ll remember that name.” Keisuke announced. “I’m Keisuke Takahashi, and I won’t make the same mistake twice!” Takumi didn’t say a word in response to that, merely tilting his head as Keisuke let out an amused huff before turning towards his car.

“Before we start,” Ryousuke finally spoke up, catching his brother’s very annoyed attention. “May I ask what took you so long to arrive?” Takumi glanced away and flushed a little.

“I… didn’t want to come at first.” he responded after a moment, prompting Keisuke to let out a vaguely offended sound. “But I changed my mind last second.”

“Thank the gods for that.” his father tacked on from the sidelines, causing Takumi to glare at him.

“Is that it?” at Takumi’s nod, Ryousuke hummed. “Thank you for answering my question, that’s all I wanted to know.” with a nod towards his little brother, the elder Takahashi sibling walked out of the road, quickly prompting everyone to follow after him as the two racers got in their respective vehicles and pulled to the starting line.

“We’re beginning the countdown.” Ryousuke heard Fumihiro’s voice on the walkie channel, preempting the corner leaders to chime in their affirmations. “Ten seconds to start!”

Iketani listened silently as his team muttered around him, discontentment thick in the air.

“Is this really all right?” he heard someone mutter behind him. “It’s totally foolish to race an 86 against an FD.”

“There’s a huge difference in horsepower.” someone else chimed in. “And the FD is the best domestic cornering machine, both in the straights and in the turns. The 86 is totally outclassed!” Iketani let out a quiet sigh at that.

“We just need to have faith in him…” he muttered.

“Five!” the two cars revved their engines, primed to go as the countdown began to reach its end. “Four!” Iketani felt a bead of sweat run down his face, he had faith that Takumi would win, he trusted Mr. Fujiwara’s decision. “Three!” but he couldn’t help but feel anxious. Would the spider actually pull through for them? “Two!” he could feel his inner wolf pacing nervously, back and forth, over and over. “One!” he shook his head a little, a determined gleam entering his eyes. All he could do was believe in Takumi. It wouldn’t be fair to do anything else.

“ _GO_!” the two cars raced off, Keisuke’s FD quickly gaining a lead on the 86 as both vanished down the road. Iketani gulped as he began hearing the whispers start back up, the RedSuns sounding ridiculously smug and his own team sounding as though they wanted to shrivel up and vanish.

“Shit…”

Ryousuke’s eyes were narrowed, locked on the road as he pondered what he’d seen just from starting.

 _‘Coming off the line, that 86 has a hundred and fifty horsepower at most.’_ he thought idly. _‘It’s not quite the monster Keisuke had been claiming it to be.’_ closing his eyes, he pictured the cars starting off again, taking in every little shift of the 86 once again. _‘The reason why it can shift so fast is that it has tranny gears for a rally. It must be perfect for the hairpins on Akina.’_ he reopened his eyes, feeling a deep frown settle onto his face. _‘Still, there’s no reason Keisuke’s FD would be beat out by it.’_ his eyes slowly moved to lock on Mr. Fujiwara, who didn’t look at all concerned by what everyone had witnessed. In fact, he looked completely calm, not at all panicked like the rest of the SpeedStars. As the elder man took a deep and final drag of his cigarette, Ryousuke saw it. It was a mere glimmer, hardly enough to unnerve him as it was. Surrounding the elder Fujiwara was a blinding white aura, very restrained, and vaguely dulled by disuse, but practically howling with experience and skill. A bead of sweat ran down his brow, and he was suddenly feeling lucky that they were facing his son instead. But that glimpse told him enough. _‘I get it, with that man as his father, the monster isn’t the car… but the driver himself.’_

~0~

“I won’t give him a break.” Keisuke growled as he sped ahead as far as he could, knowing it would only be a matter of time before that 86 caught up to him. “I don’t like using the straightaways to pull ahead, but this is a timed run! If I have my way, I’ll never even see that 86 in my rear view mirror!”

Takumi tapped a finger against the wheel idly as he watched the bright yellow car of his opponent gain ground, feeling vaguely giddy about what he was beginning to process as a faux hunt. Nejibana was clicking away excitedly on the dash, her attention firmly locked on the car as well as she chittered. He watched as his opponent turned the first corner and shifted his position, his eyes narrowing as the rest of his limbs appeared to stabilize himself within his seat, his vision sharpening the slightest bit as his eyes shifted accordingly.

 _“Hold on tight, Nejibana.”_ he warned, his hand tightening its grip against the gear shift as his familiar hunkered down and latched onto the dash. _“Ready?”_

 _“As I’ll ever be!”_ Nejibana announced excitedly, and when he reached the right spot, he shifted gears and maneuvered his feet, turning the wheel and going into a drift through the corner. Startled and awed faces flew past but Takumi didn’t have the eyes for them, instead locking his gaze on the back of the FD once more as the 86 began to speed up.

He had some catching up to do.

Keisuke felt confident that he’d left the 86 in the dust, having cleared the last few corners at his fastest, but a glance towards his rear view told him otherwise as the 86 followed him out of the corner and slowly, but surely, began to catch up to him.

“He’s closing the gap!? He’s getting closer!?” another nervous glance to his rear view caused sweat to begin running down his face. Suddenly, he felt like prey being stalked by a predator. “No, it must be my imagination! It’s impossible for him to catch up to me!” he pressed his foot down on the gas and sped up, once again beginning to leave the 86 behind. In his distress he almost missed his mark, letting out a pissed scoff as he drifted the next two corners with ease, only to snarl when the 86 caught up to him and kept pace.

It was like he was reliving that early Sunday morning all over again.

~0~

_“This is the first corner!”_ the voice of the walkie was shaking, sounding startled and winded. _“It was amazing to witness! That 86’s line is incredible! It wasn’t more than five centimeters from the guardrail! I’ve never seen anyone corner at that speed!”_ everyone was stunned silent, it was as if something had pressed mute on a television remote and it affected the real world instead.

“... I shouldn’t be surprised.” Ryousuke heard Iketani say faintly. “Takumi’s father was once a great street racer. Growing up with him, he’s no doubt picked up a few things.”

“What?” Itsuki exclaimed, causing Ryousuke to wonder if that boy was capable of speaking quietly. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” Iketani nodded.

“But… I’ve seen him several times, he’s just the gruff owner of a tofu shop.”

“Yuichi told me that it’s not something you can really tell by just looking at him. The same goes for anyone else. According to him, Mr. Fujiwara is still the fastest on the downhill here on Akina.”

“You really have to stop listening to everything Yuichi says.” Mr. Fujiwara chimed in from nearby, causing them to jump and look at him. “He’s delusional.”

“So he wasn’t telling the truth?”

“I never said _that_.” Mr. Fujiwara reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarette carton once more, Ryousuke didn’t blame him. “He isn’t lying, just delusional.”

“See?” Iketani looked triumphant. “And he’s the one who’s having Takumi race in his stead. We should just do as he says and believe in him!”

"It would've been much better than if I’d done the run myself” Kenji tacked on.

“But, even if his father is _fast,_ Takumi is…” Itsuki trailed off, his tone borderline panicked.

“From what I’ve heard, Takumi has beaten Keisuke Takahashi once before.” the SpeedStars crowded around him all broke out into sound at that, whispering furiously.

“ _T_ _akumi_ defeated Keisuke Takahashi?! No way!” Fumihiro turned to look at them, having heard that last bit quite easily, Ryousuke could imagine the expression on his face. Itsuki leaned towards Iketani, likely trying to keep his voice down but not really succeeding, seeing as Ryousuke could still hear him. “I refuse to believe it! That spacey Takumi?!” Fumihiro’s posture slouched a little, obviously agitated by the SpeedStars behavior. It was actually beginning to be particularly humorous. “He didn’t even know what an 86 was!” the radio suddenly crackled to life once again as the leader of the next hairpin spoke up, sounding spooked.

 _“Gods, just what in the hell is in that 86?! At incredible speed, it came in with the rear end free and passed through the corner without hardly losing any speed! I wouldn’t be surprised if it went airborne at any moment! Everyone out here has shivers going up our spines!”_ Ryousuke shifted his stance at that, becoming more and more interested in this race as it went on.

~0~

“He’s caught up to me?!” Keisuke exclaimed, sounding vaguely shaken as he finally began to process that he might not be able to out-speed that 86 like he wanted to, and that he wouldn’t lose his opponent in the corners to come. “What’s happening? I must be going crazy!”

Takumi was taking notice of some small things as he drove. One, the crowd was startled that he was keeping up. Two, his opponent seemed to be… off, in some way. He couldn’t tell what it was, but something about his driving seemed _different_ than when the race first began. He was starting to think he was hallucinating.

 _“This hunt is so fun!”_ Nejibana exclaimed excitedly from the dash, prompting Takumi to give her a small smile. In the months that he’s had her, they’ve only been on one hunt together, and even then it hadn’t really been all that of a hunt. This, however, felt like a good hunt. As he neared the corner, he shifted gears and clicked a little.

 _“Up to second gear, they’re the same.”_ he commented quietly. _“The difference is the stretch… if the straight is even a little long, he pulls away.”_

 _“So we just have to catch up!”_ Nejibana chirped happily.

_“Right…”_

~0~

_“This is the straightaway in front of the skating rink!”_ the channel picked up once more, causing everyone to fall silent. _“The two of them just passed by! That 86 is practically on Keisuke’s bumper! I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! Gods, Akina’s 86 is unbelievably fast! Is tonight even really happening?! Is this for real?! Keisuke’s FD has never had anyone keep up with it this far!”_ all of the SpeedStars looked completely bewildered as Iketani visibly shuddered, a hand flying to his neck as he recovered.

“Man, I’ve got goosebumps…” he said shakily.

 _“On this long straightaway, Keisuke did pull away, but that distance won’t last, there are so many hairpins after this! We might have a problem on our hands!”_ Ryousuke watched as Mr. Fujiwara hid a small grin behind his cigarette and finally decided enough was enough as he picked up his walkie and strode over to Fumihiro.

“Did you hear all of that, Ryousuke?” he asked looking at his leader with a vaguely panicked expression.

“We severely miscalculated.” he responded, sounding less than amused. “There was no way for us to know Akina had such a great driver, and I don’t mean the SpeedStars when I say that.”

“Huh?” Fumihiro looked confused.

“I have every reason to believe that Takumi Fujiwara is unaffiliated, and as such only came because he was asked to.” the walkie suddenly crackled back to life.

 _“This is one of the hairpins, that 86’s attack is aggressive!”_ Ryousuke locked eyes with Fumihiro. _“It’s an incredible kamikaze technique! It’s like this kid has no sense of fear on the downhill!”_

Interesting.

~0~

Takumi looked down for only a moment as his tachometer began to ping at him, a sound he usually only heard on his return run when heading home. It was a slightly surprising thing to hear, he’d hardly noticed he’d been hitting this point. Looking back up, he listened to it quietly, nearly chuckling when Nejibana began mocking the sound as she clicked. Turning his focus back to the race at hand, he narrowed his eyes once more as he turned one of the much sharper corners, that bright yellow car never leaving his sight for too long.

It was a little easier than he’d thought, keeping up with it.

Keisuke’s thoughts were running unchecked as he worked to keep ahead, sweat rolling down his face as he kept glancing at his rear view mirror.

“In the straights, I’m faster.” he spoke, his grip on the wheel tightening. “But he keeps catching up to me. That means I’m losing out in the corners! Gods, to be caught by a less powerful car…” he clenched his teeth. “It’s the ultimate shame for a street racer! Ugh, I’ll die before admitting that!”

Takumi let out a vaguely annoyed breath.

 _“Dad won’t admit that I won unless I pass that car.”_ he huffed, his pedipalps shifting agitatedly. _“I guess there’s no avoiding it then.”_

 _“Are you going to do what I think you are, master?”_ Nejibana asked, bobbing around excitedly.

 _“There’s no avoiding it, Bana.”_ he responded, his posture shifting as he sat up straighter in the seat. _“Having dad owe me something is such a rare thing that there’s no way I’d ever pass it up!”_ Nejibana’s clicking went up an octave as she bounced once more.

 _“Yay! This is my favorite part of riding with you!”_ Takumi let out an amused huff.

 _“I bet it is.”_ his expression evened out as he began planning his course of action. _“The setup point is in the next five consecutive hairpin curves!”_

Keisuke swore as the 86 drew closer once again, switching gears as he attempted to flee once again, only for him to notice something that made him nearly pop his molars together.

“What’s going on? Why does my FD feel so slow?! Why today, of all days?! Dammit, it the secondary turbine still working?!”

~0~

“This is the top of the mountain.” Ryousuke spoke firmly into the channel, causing all chatter around him to cease. “Can you hear me?”

 _“Ryousuke?”_ someone asked, sounding surprised. _“What are you doing on the line?”_

“Never mind that.” Ryousuke nearly snapped. “Pretty soon, the two racers will reach the five consecutive hairpins up there. I don’t care how you do it, but I want each of you to give me the play-by-play, you got that? Tell me everything that’s happening in as much detail as you possibly can.”

 _“O-Okay!”_ someone responded. _“They’re very close to the first hairpin, I can hear the squeal of their tires. They’ll be here in only moments!”_ there was a pause, and the sound on the other end was quiet enough for the rev of Keisuke’s rotaries to come through the walkie. _“Ah! Here they come! Keisuke’s FD is still in the lead, but he’s being closely tailed by the 86! They’re neck and neck!”_ the squeal of tires filled the channel. _“Wow! So cool! That 86 is amazing! It did a perfect braking-drift! Keisuke’s quickly losing ground!”_ Ryousuke glanced at the SpeedStars from the corner of his eye to see them looking more and more pleased with each comment, and he honestly couldn’t blame them. They’d looked so bleak and helpless before the battle began. _“His recovery is great, too! It’s so close to the guardrail! They’re heading into the second pairpin, there’s absolutely no gap between them!”_ there were heavy footsteps as the one holding the walkie hurried to the other side of the path to catch the two again. _“Their recovery is completely identical! The FD got close to the outside, and the 86… it’s not slowing down?! He’s crazy, he’s going into the hairpin at such incredible speed!”_

“Oh gods…” he heard someone mutter from off to the side. “He’s insane…” he heard Itsuki let out a completely panicked sound and glanced at him to see him almost curled in on himself, his hands on his head as he freaked out.

 _“He still isn’t slowing down! Are his breaks out?!”_ Ryousuke shot a look towards Mr. Fujiwara, wondering if this will break his apathy, and was surprised to find that it did, just not in the way he was expecting. The older man looked particularly amused, almost pleased by the chaos around him as he blew cigarette smoke skywards. There was a clunk from the other end of the channel, catching Ryousuke’s attention once more as the crowd on that side let out a collective exclamation of enthrallment. _“K-Keisuke was passed! Easily on the inside!”_ Ryousuke’s jaw dropped, his grip on the walkie falling slack but not allowing it to fall from his hand as the top of the mountain filled with a tense silence.

“That…” Fumihiro was the first to break the silence. “That can’t be true…” suddenly beginning to fumble with his own walkie, Fumihiro pressed the button down. “We don’t understand what’s happening! Be exact!” Fumihiro’s angry tone was a surprise to Ryousuke as he slowly turned and once more locked his eyes on Mr. Fujiwara.

 _“But… we were watching it… and a car shouldn’t be able to turn exceeding the tire’s grip, right? Well, that 86 turned in a weird way, it was kind of like watching a roller coaster, even though that line was supposed to be bad on the inside turn.”_ Mr. Fujiwara’s small grin widened at that, he was obviously pleased by what he was hearing. _“I have no damn idea what happened!”_

~0~

Takeshi Nakazato let out an amused humph as he listened to the corner leader exclaim into the walkie, his eyes closed as he smiled.

“I know exactly what that 86 did.” he announced.

“What?”

“It’s an absolutely _stupid_ move, but no one can imitate it. And to make it even better, it can only happen here on Akina.” he chuckled. “I can’t believe anyone would try something so stupid.” with a wave of his hand, he turned and walked towards his GT-R, knowing that the race was over with the 86 having won. Beneath all of the whispers and exclamations, he could hear the sound of something large following him. Getting into his car, he sat at the wheel for a moment. “Well, I guess I’ve got something to look forward to. Akina’s downhill specialist… he may be impressive, but he won’t be getting any further. He’ll be beaten by me, Takeshi Nakazato of the Myogi NightKids!” a wide grin split his face as a dark red line cut into his throat, a drop of blood was starting to flow down sluggishly, his excitement mounting. Oh, how he couldn’t wait.

And outside the car, if you’d been looking his way, you’d be in time to catch the specter of a dark horse rearing back before vanishing.

~0~

_“This is the finish line! I can hear the sound of their engines!”_ everyone leaned closer towards Fumihiro and Ryousuke, eager to hear if Keisuke had managed to recover the lead or not. _“They’re almost here! I can see their headlights, but I can’t tell who’s in the lead!”_ there was an uproar of sound. _“It’s the 86! What the hell is going on?! Why is Keisuke so far behind?! There’s too much of a gap for him to cover! He’s not going to make it! I hate to say it, but the 86 wins!”_ the silence was so thick you could practically cut it with a knife, it was almost like no one dared to breathe. The first to break the silence was Mr. Fujiwara, who was grinding out his cigarette beneath his shoe.

“That’s my boy.” he said quietly, sounding vaguely proud. “I told you kids he could do it.” the SpeedStars suddenly burst into sound at that, the loudest of them all being Itsuki, who was practically yelling.

“I can’t believe it! He won! That spacey Takumi actually _won_!” he cried, curling towards himself to let out an odd, excited sound as Iketani visibly relaxed.

“That’s great!” he said shakily. “It’s too cool. I feel like I’m gonna cry.” Kenji slung an arm around his shoulder.

“He did it!” he crowed. “Don’t cry, Iketani, you look so stupid!”

“Shut up, Kenji, I can’t help it! I’m just so happy.” Iketani grinned widely. “Besides, you’re crying too!”

“I am not!” Ryousuke let out a shaky breath, finally lowering his arm as he listened to Fumihiro spring into action and have the RedSuns pack it up. “Hey, Iketani, let’s get some lessons from Takumi. Like drift control and picking a line.”

“I’ve got one better for ya, let’s put a SpeedStars sticker on his car without him knowing!”

“You’d be better doing no such thing.” Mr. Fujiwara called, sounding less than amused, and Iketani let out an awkward chuckle.

“It… it was a joke, Mr. Fujiwara.” he finally responded.

“For your sake, it better be.” as the SpeedStars took that as their queue to devolve into mindless bickering, Ryousuke let a breath out from his nose.

“This, was a clear loss.” he spoke up, catching Fumihiro’s attention. “Let’s admit it with some grace.” as he turned to head towards his FC, Fumihiro spoke up in a panic.

“W-Wait, Ryousuke?! What about the timed uphill run?!”

“The uphill doesn’t mean anything anymore.” he responded firmly.

“By tomorrow, rumors will spread among the street racers that the undefeated RedSuns lost to an 86 from Akina, of all cars!” a harsh gleam entered Ryousuke’s eyes as he turned and locked them on Fumihiro.

“Then, we will have to get even soon. With _my_ FC!” turning away once again, he strode towards his FC with purpose, he had to get to the bottom and ask Keisuke exactly what happened.

“Excuse me.” Mr. Fujiwara’s voice was vaguely startling and caused him to look up at him, pausing in opening his car door. “Are you heading towards the bottom?”

“Yes, I have to meet up with my brother. Why?”

“I know for a fact that my son won’t be coming back up here.” the man didn’t sound at all upset by this, in fact he was pretty neutral. “You wouldn’t mind if I hitched a ride, would you?”

~0~

Takumi worked to calm himself down within his 86, watching his opponent as he leaned against his car, his foot once again tapping impatiently against the pavement. He couldn’t go out like this, adrenaline still ran through him strongly, going out now while there were so many humans around would only cause chaos.

 _“Master?”_ Nejibana sounded concerned. _“Are you okay?”_

 _“I’m fine.”_ he responded. _“Or, I will be. I just need to calm down. I can’t go out half shifted like this.”_ Nejibana clicked a little at that. As Takumi continued to watch, he saw some of the vans from the top come from around the corner, being led by that white car he remembered to be the RedSuns leader. It parked nearby and his opponent’s brother got out, followed closely by his dad. Takumi was happy Bunta had gotten a ride down, there was no way he was going back up to the top.

Fumihiro was out of his van and heading towards Keisuke the moment he shut it off, hearing the blonde speak agitatedly as he grew closer.

“I’ve been waiting for him to get out of that car for a few minutes now, aniki. I’m almost wondering if he’s okay in there.”

“Bah, he’s fine.” Mr. Fujiwara cut in, catching their attention. “Racing sparks adrenaline, and Takumi’s never been the best at handling himself when pumped full of it. He’s likely trying to calm himself down. Don’t worry about it, kid, he’ll be out eventually.” as Fumihiro drew closer, the sudden smell nearly made him freeze.

Spider.

His eyes immediately locked on Mr. Fujiwara, he was the only one who could possibly be emanating the smell, as the Takahashi brothers were definitely human. Mr. Fujiwara seemed to sense his gaze for he turned to look at him neutrally, a brow raised, before he looked away once more. The sound of a car door opening pulled his gaze towards the 86, and he watched as a vaguely nervous Takumi stepped from it. He had to be a spider too, if his father was one.

Takumi stepped forward, his attention first on his father as he opened his mouth.

“I’m glad you got a ride down.” he commented blandly, eliciting a chuckle from Bunta.

“Well, knowing you, I’d have been stuck up there all night if I didn’t.” Takumi couldn’t argue with that.

“Well, you’re right.” he said, before turning his gaze to Ryousuke. “No hard feelings about your team losing?”

“Other than an aching pride?” Ryousuke tilted his head. “No. You won, fair and square, though I _have_ to ask, how’d you do it?” Takumi huffed.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to tell you that.” he responded.

“And you’re right.” Bunta cut in. “You’re not. If they wanna know, they’ll have to figure it out for themselves.” an odd gleam entered Ryousuke’s eyes.

“I always love a good riddle.” he said excitedly, and Takumi turned his eyes to Keisuke, who’s expression made it look like he’d sucked on a lemon. The two were silent for a moment, before Keisuke visibly came to a decision.

“Despite being unable to wrap my head around losing… this was a fun race.” he held his hand out towards Takumi. “I wouldn’t mind asking you for a rematch at some point. In any terms, let’s race again someday.” Takumi stared at Keisuke’s hand for a second, contemplating his next move, before caving and deciding to be polite.

“Yeah.” he responded, giving Keisuke a small smile as he reached towards it with his own. “That sounds good. Let’s race again someday.” and with that, the two clasped hands. The electricity that ran down his spine startled him into yanking his arm away, not too hard for it to be incredibly rude, but still rude as he processed just what happened.

Electricity. Down his spine. Takumi paled. That was _not_ good.

Making sure to keep a passive expression on his face, Takumi nodded towards Keisuke, repressing a wince at the blonde’s visible confusion as he stared at his hands, and turned towards his father.

“Ready to go home, dad?”

Fumihiro was pale as he watched the 86 leave, his own mind racing at what he’d witnessed. He knows what he saw, there was no mistaking it.

“Keisuke?” Ryousuke sounded vaguely concerned. “Are you alright?”

“... shaking his hand… it felt like I got zapped by a power outlet.” Keisuke’s voice was lost, and confused. “What happened?”

 _‘Fuck.’_ Fumihiro thought to himself. _‘This is not going to end well.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAA HELLO!!! I'M SO FULL OF ENERGY I AM SO HAPPY TO GET THIS CHAPTER OUT!! THIS CHAPTER HAS BREACHED 6K WORDS!! THAT'S SO GOOD!! (Kiyana)
> 
> HI HELLO YES I AM BACK, SHIT'S GETTING EXCITING!!
> 
> Been a little busy making visualizer and lyrics videos on my EurobeatGlow channel, which is v fun too!!!! 8 more songs on my current to do list AND BC WE GETTING TO THE EXCITING PART OF FIRST STAGE, I'LL BE BACK WRITING REAL SOON! (Gaysuke_Takahashi)


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things are explained, the spider overhears a plot, and two racers have a conversation

The ride home was tense, in Bunta’s opinion. Takumi, still behind the wheel, seemed nervous and upset, a finger tapping endlessly against the wheel as he drove. Usually, Bunta would have told him to stop, but he felt compelled to let him continue, and wait until they got home to ask what was wrong.

Those humans Takumi had spoken with had seemed like okay kids, though the blonde had seemed a little flighty in his opinion. The third male with them, however, clearly took notice of what he, and in turn Takumi, really were from the expression on his face. He’d been upwind, too, so Bunta had been unable to get a scent to begin figuring him out in return.

Pulling into the alley beside the shop, Takumi turned the car off and passed the keys to Bunta as he got out, not even bothering to grab Nejibana as he quickly walked towards the doors of the shop. Bunta got out and, after picking up his kid’s familiar, hurried after him.

 _“Takumi!”_ he exclaimed as he kicked the door shut, quickly shifting into a more comfortable form as he peered around for his kid. He found him in the bathroom upstairs, fully shifted and his eyes locked on the mirror. _“Takumi? You’ve been acting tense since we left Akina.”_ Takumi slowly turned his eyes towards his father.

 _“He’s human.”_ he said, looking thoroughly alarmed.

 _“Yeah, we knew that from the start, kid. What’s that got to do with anything?”_ Takumi didn’t respond to that, merely turning in place to show his father the side of his abdomen. His patterning had changed a little, the red, vaguely heart shaped splotches having gained the barest of white outlines. But what stood out to him was a glaringly bright yellow swirl, almost pastel in color, jammed amidst the red and black as though it had been stamped on.

Red widows don’t have any yellow swirls in their patterning.

_“Oh.”_

_“Yeah, oh.”_ Takumi responded tersely, turning towards the doorway. Bunta stepped aside and watched his son grouchily head into his room, and after a moment’s hesitation followed after him. _“Just what am I supposed to do about this!?”_

 _“You don’t have to do anything, kid.”_ Bunta responded, setting Nejibana down on his kid’s desk as he flopped ungracefully onto his bed. _“It’s only a recommendation.”_

_“But-”_

_“Hush for a second.”_ Takumi’s jaw snapped shut. _“Maybe it’s time we had a talk about this, so just listen to me, okay?”_ at Takumi’s nod, Bunta let out a small breath. _“Marks aren’t set in stone, they’re a sort of a ‘they’ll be good for you, but you follow your heart not our recommendation’ kind of message from fate or whatever. You don’t have to do anything about that mark. You can forget it ever even appeared and move on with your life. Or, you can really think on it.”_ Takumi’s eyes went a little wide at that.

 _“Think on it?”_ he parroted, sounding alarmed. _“Dad-”_

Bunta once more cut his kid off. _“You can think on it, and I mean that. We as a whole must be wary of courting humans, especially the girls, but in the end you can make your own choice.”_ the older spider let out a tired breath. _“Just think about it. You have all the time in the world.”_ getting up, Bunta headed back towards the door as Takumi began to look thoughtful, pausing with a hand on the frame. _“Takumi?”_

 _“Yeah, dad?”_ there was a pause.

_“You did well tonight. Good job, I’m proud of you.”_

~0~

“Right here.” Keisuke huffed, his arms crossed as he nodded at the corner in question, Ryousuke’s gaze turning towards the road. “This right is where I was passed by the 86.” there was a pause as he let out an impatient breath. “I just don’t get it. How could an 86, which isn’t good on inside corners, go through this specific one faster than my FD?” he shivered. “Just remembering what it looked like gives me the creeps. That kid might actually be a real ghost or something…” Ryousuke was silent as he continued to eye the road.

“Keisuke…” he began, catching his younger brother’s eye. “Tell me exactly what happened at that time. Was there anything strange that happened to catch your attention?”

“Huh?” Keisuke tilted his head as he thought. “Well, I heard something pretty strange. Sounded like metal scraping against pavement.”

“A strange sound, huh?” an amused smile crossed Ryousuke’s features as he closed his eyes and chuckled. “I see… now I understand.”

“Huh? Aniki, what are you muttering about?” Ryousuke suddenly turned towards his brother, an excited gleam in his eyes.

“I get now why those two wanted us to figure it out. Should I tell you why you lost?”

“Why I…” Keisuke blinked, his pupils contracting. “Yes! Out with it!” Ryousuke chuckled once again before starting towards the side of the road, gesturing Keisuke to follow.

“He used this.” Ryousuke gestured towards the side of the road, at a stone indent set into the ground and partially hidden by foliage.

“A drainage ditch?” Keisuke asked incredulously.

“Yes.” Ryousuke’s eyes took on that calculating gleam Keisuke was used to seeing. “He dropped his inside tires into the ditch on purpose and resisted the centrifugal force by hooking it. In that way, theoretically, it is possible to gain more cornering force than the tires can grip.” he closed his eyes with an amused breath. “It’s too obvious and simple, not to mention an absolutely ridiculous idea. I wouldn’t be successful if he’d never done it before. I assume that he likely practices like this quite regularly. He must have run Akina for many years.” Keisuke clenched his jaw angrily at that, his hands clenching into fists as he turned and strode towards the nearest guardrail, kicking it roughly and leaving a dent in the metal.

“Damn it!” he almost roared, his outrage spilling out even as his brother spoke in a highly amused tone.

“The mountain downhill is fun because this kind of thing happens.” he crooned. “It’s been a while since I’ve met a target that I can get excited about.” Keisuke felt all of his anger suddenly drain at this, shock crossing his face as he whipped around to look at his serene older brother. “Let’s cancel the expedition we were planning for next week.” he opened his eyes and turned to look at Keisuke, a fire in his eyes that the blonde hadn’t seen in a long time. “Until we have a _complete victory_ at Akina, we can’t move on. I’ll be the one to defeat that 86!”

~0~

“Bunta, are you in?!” Yuichi called out as he placed a hand on the steel shutters of the tofu shop, one side half up to circulate air. “It’s me!” he let out an exhausted sigh. “Outsiders, it’s hot today.”

 _“Yuichi?”_ Bunta leaned into the door frame, all four of his eyes locking on him as he waved sluggishly. _“Get in here, damn dog, you must be boiling. Shift if you have to, jeez.”_

“I’ll just overheat more if I shift, what are you trying to do, kill me?” he heard Bunta scoff as he leaned away, and stepped into the shop. As he walked through to the back, he gave a cursory nod to Tama, who bobbed at him from his web but didn’t move an inch. “Anyway, I heard your kid did great!”

 _“Ah?”_ Yuichi entered the room and sat himself beside Bunta, taking in the beginnings of a split in his abdomen with hardly a thought.

“Iketani and the others have been mooning about it all morning.”

 _“It wasn’t_ **_that_ ** _great.”_ Bunta huffed. _“He did well, but I wouldn’t babble about it. Kid’s expectations these days are pretty low if that’s all it took to get them talking.”_ Yuichi chuckled at his friend’s words. _“Takumi just doesn’t like driving cars.”_

“Really? That’s a little hard to believe.” Yuichi tilted his head. “From what Iketani said, he has such a great technique.”

_“To him, driving a car equals helping me out with my business. I’ve forced him to do it since he was in junior high, so I’m not surprised at all that he can’t imagine that driving is fun.”_

“I see…”

 _“The kid’s somewhat cynical about it.”_ Bunta let out a sigh at that. _“But, the chase on the downhill of Akina last night might have given him something to feel passionate about. Nejibana rambled on after we got home about how fun the hunt had been, and that she knew Takumi had fun too, even if he didn’t show it.”_ he smiled faintly. _“Maybe he’ll brighten up, too. He’s been far too quiet and droopy the past few years.”_

~0~

“Oh boy!” Takumi heard Iketani crow as he worked with a customer, catching some of his attention. “I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked the same thing this morning! ‘Who was in that 86 yesterday?’, over and over!”

“I’ve been asked many times, too.” Kenji spoke up. “He beat Keisuke Takahashi! Even if I can’t believe it, people are going to lose their minds and talk about it. It’s no surprise!”

“I… might have gotten a little carried away in answering those questions.” Iketani chuckled awkwardly, Takumi rose a brow as he removed the pump and nodded politely at the woman at the wheel. “I told everyone that the 86 was the secret weapon of the SpeedStars.” as the woman drove off and Takumi bowed at her, he felt his eyebrow twitch. “We have to find a way to get Takumi to join the team. Otherwise, we’ll be completely embarrassed later.”

“Leave it to me, Iketani!” Itsuki exclaimed eagerly as Takumi turned and began walking towards the three. “Because I’m his best friend, I’m certain I’ll be able to make him do it!”

“The hell he will.” Takumi muttered to himself.

“Are you sure, Itsuki?” Iketani sounded doubtful.

“Of course I’m sure! I know all of his weak points, you know.” a small, sly smile adorned Itsuki’s face as he chuckled. “But, in return for getting him on board, you have to let me join the SpeedStars as well!”

“Well, if you can get Takumi to join up, then sure. Right?” Iketani turned his head towards Kenji, who smiled awkwardly.

“Uh… yeah.” Itsuki curled towards himself and let out his trademark squeal of excitement as he laughed.

“Lucky!” he exclaimed, throwing up peace signs. “The negotiation was successful!”

“That may be,” Kenji spoke up, sounding amused. “But how are you going to get a car, huh?”

“I am _so_ glad you asked! I’ve already made up my mind!”

“Oh!” Iketani and Kenji both exclaimed as Takumi rose a brow curiously. “So you’ve finally saved up the money?”

“Hardly!” Itsuki exclaimed. “I’m going to ask my dad to help me sign for a loan so I can get an 86!” Iketani and Kenji both choked at that. “Takumi has a Panda Trueno, so I’ll look for a red or black Levin... “ Itsuki’s tone turned daydreamy as he continued to speak. “Someday, we’ll be called the 86 Pair, the fastest on Akina!” Takumi let out an exasperated but amused sigh at Itsuki’s words as he let out yet again another excited, must louder squeal.

“...Itsuki, you’re forgetting something very important here.” Iketani spoke up, sounding exasperated. “Takumi’s 86 isn’t a normal 86.”

“That’s right.” Kenji cut in. “It was faster than the FD with three hundred fifty horsepower… it must have incredible tuning. I’d really like to take a peek under the hood.”

“Instead of that,” Iketani took back over. “Why don’t you go along when he goes for Akina’s downhill record, Kenji?” Kenji let out a delighted sound.

“That’s a really good idea!” he crooned.

“I wanna ride too!” Takumi put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head, wondering when they’d notice he’d been listening to their conversation.

“We can go where no one has gone before.” Iketani said dramatically. “I can hardly imagine it…” the other two quietly voiced their agreement. “I bet it’s greater than any extreme roller coaster.” the other two agreed once again, before Itsuki finally caught sight of Takumi, who’s expression was likely echoing the exasperation he was feeling.

“Oh crap.” Iketani and Kenji both turned, and Takumi huffed in amusement.

“Next time, plan where I can’t hear you.” he said, and Itsuki let out a cry of distress as Takumi shook his head and turned away.

~0~

The sound of squealing tires forced them to repress their creature forms, their eyes locked on the road as a white FC sped around the corner and passed them in a blur.

“Oh, that white FC!” one of them exclaimed, feeling his ears perk up atop his head as they reappeared. “That’s Ryousuke Takahashi. Finally, the RedSuns’ number one has made an appearance!”

“What for?” his friend in the red car asked curiously.

“Must be revenge for his brother.” he replied, catching sight of the third of their group looking between them as they spoke. “Can either of you think of anything else?”

“But that race was just yesterday!” the one in the car exclaimed, scales appearing across the bridge of his nose. “He’s here already?! He must be _livid_ over that 86 beating his brother. I wonder…” the sound of another engine cut him off as his friend repressed his ears once again, and they all peered down the road as a black R32 sped past them.

“Woah…” the third creature chirped a little. “That’s an R32 I’ve never seen around here.”

“Yeah…” the first spoke up. “A black R32… something about it makes me shiver.”

“Just who is that?” the second asked, and none of them had an answer.

Ryousuke himself was absorbed in running the course, his mind swimming with thoughts as he went along. A glimmer in his rear view mirror caught his eye, a contemplative frown adorning his face.

 _‘That car, which is fast on the straightaways, seems to be following me.’_ he thought idly. _‘Should I wait for a moment?’_ after a second of hesitation, Ryousuke eased up on the gas and began to slow, causing the car behind him to quickly catch up and begin flashing its headlights. _‘Ah, I recognize that shape.’_ as a shiver ran down his spine at the mere thought of a dark R32, anxiety running through him. While this one wasn’t the same color, it was close enough to give him a sense of fear. Did his bitter fate finally catch up to him? _‘An R32 GTR…’_ When he saw it grip through the next corner, a relief crossed his heart, it’s not **him** thankfully. Taking a moment to calm himself down, he felt curiosity towards the driver rise within him. _‘I wonder just how good that driver is…’_ a small smirk crossed Ryousuke face as he shifted gears and once more stepped on the gas, quickly pulling ahead.

Takeshi let out an amused huff as a grin split his face.

“So that’s how you come out… that’s all I needed.” and with an excited huff, he shifted gears and accelerated as well. He watched quietly as the FC cleared corner after corner, never gaining any ground away from him though not losing any either, even with all the drifting. “I can keep up with Ryousuke Takahashi!” he crowed quietly. “Just as I thought, this GT-R is the best.” he chuckled as, after a few moments, the FC’s hazard lights came on. “Even though the driver is good with that out-dated FC, this is its limit, isn’t it…?” the FC pulled off to a spot behind the guardrail as Takeshi came to a stop, turning on his own hazards and, after checking to see if he was shifted or not, getting out. He walked around his R32, listening to the sound of the FC’s door opening as it’s driver got out.

“I’m Ryousuke Takahashi.” he greeted politely, his hand resting on the top of the open door. “A member of the RedSuns.”

“I know.” Takeshi rose a brow slightly. “I’m Takeshi Nakazato. I belong to a team based on Mt. Myogi, called the NightKids.” Ryousuke tilted his head slightly as he processed that, his own brow quirked slightly.

“Takeshi Nakazato of the NightKids…?” he parroted quietly, before righting his head. “Aren’t you the fastest street racer on Mt. Myogi’s downhill?” Takeshi let out a pleased sound.

“I’m honored to be recognized by the superstar, Ryousuke Takahashi.” he said, and Ryousuke tilted his head once again, a small smile gracing his features.

“But, I’ve heard that Nakazato of the NightKids drives an S13, not an R32. Unless I’m misremembering…” Takeshi’s eyes widened as Ryousuke chortled. “It doesn’t matter… So, what’s a street racer from Myogi doing all the way out here, on Akina?”

“Hang on a minute, let’s not talk about me.” Takeshi huffed. “You belong to Akagi, don’t you? Didn’t we come here for the same reason?” there was a pause as Ryousuke raised a brow. “I wanted to meet the 86 I saw race yesterday.” he casually leaned against the back of his car as Ryousuke chuckled quietly.

“That one using the R32 tries to bite at the 86?” he asked rhetorically, his gaze turning towards the GT-R curiously. “With the R32, which is tuned for three hundred eighty horsepower…” Takeshi turned his gaze towards Ryousuke, a surprised look on his face.

“What?” Takeshi watched Ryousuke casually pull out a cigarette and light it. “How-”

“Oh, I can see it easily by looking at the exhaust and your demonstration of power on the straightaways.” he replied passively. “But the result is obvious. On the _uphill_ , the 86 is absolutely no match for your R32. But on the downhill, here on Akina…” Ryousuke blew a puff of smoke skywards. “There’s no way your R32 could win.”

“What did you say?” Takeshi growled angrily, his expression twisting. “Are you seriously suggesting that my R32 will lose to that 86 on the downhill?!”

“Don’t take it so personally.” Ryousuke flicked some ash off the end of his cigarette. “I’m just saying what I think.” Takeshi scoffed.

“You don’t have much nerve.” he took a few steps towards the rail. “Even though your brother lost, there’s no need to be so damn intimidated! It’s just an 86!” Ryousuke gave him an unamused stare, unblinking and unshakable. It was starting to get on Takeshi’s nerves.

“Once you race against it, you’ll see.” Ryousuke said passively, before a dangerous gleam entered his eyes. “And besides, I’m the only one who will beat him.”

“Don’t joke with me.” Takeshi hissed. “You’ve already said it, and now I refuse to walk away from it no matter what! I’ll beat that 86 and make you eat your words. You can be arrogant for now!” he raised an arm and pointed at Ryousuke, a harsh look on his face and he shoved down the urge to shift. “Don’t forget that I’m Nakazato from Myogi!” he turned and stormed towards his car. “I’m telling you, here and now, that the rotary is no match for this R32!” and with that, he got in and sped off, leaving Ryousuke behind to contemplate. Takeshi could feel the split starting to appear around his throat as it oozed, he needed to calm down but couldn’t not with Ryousuke’s words swimming around in his head.

 _“...drives an S13, not an R32. Unless I’m misremembering…”_ Takeshi growled.

 _‘That’s right… since that time, I’ve changed quite a bit…’_ memories flashed in his mind, a time when he was a little younger, his S13 not giving him enough power to pass the R32 he’d been so desperately racing.

 _“Damn it! I can’t pass it!” _ he’d snarled desperately, his grip tight on the wheel. _“Even if I get close in the corner, he just pulls away in the straightaway… damn it! I have better technique as a racer! How could I lose?!” _ he had so desperate to pass that he entered a corner too harshly and hit the guard rail, bouncing off it like a rubber ball before coming to a stop on the road as the R32 drove away, its aura mocking and taunting him. After a tense moment, he’d fallen slumped on his wheel, fighting away the tears forming in his eyes and as well as the blood from the exposed slit. _“With this S13, I can’t beat an R32, no matter what I do… I, who was called the fastest street racer on Mt. Myogi’s downhill, lost to an R32, which can’t even do a drift…!”_

Takeshi’s grip on the wheel tightened as he shook that memory away.

 _‘All cars have their limits. No matter how excellent the driver’s technique is, you can’t drive beyond the car’s limit.’_ his eyes narrowed. _‘Even that 86…!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly rewriting OSRASL has been really fun so far! It's nice, going back and fixing plot-holes and adding details. (Kiyana)
> 
> Loved the widdle 5th stage foreshadow hehe (Gaysuke-Takahashi)


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the spider does some explaining, three RedSuns members chat about a rival team, and small realizations come to light

Takumi entered the gas station with Itsuki closely trailing behind him.

“Good morning!” the two greeted together, prompting Iketani to look up from a stack of papers in his hands and look at them.

“Hey!” he responded, free from the neck brace, though still wearing the bandages around his head. Takumi gave him a small smile as he lifted up a bag.

“Here, Iketani.”

Iketani looked at the bag questioningly. “What’s that?”

“Fried tofu.” Takumi responded chirpily. “It’s left over from yesterday. Dad told me to bring it to you.”

“Oh, really?” Iketani looked and sounded a little surprised.

“I’ll put it in the refrigerator, okay?” he turned and walked to the back without waiting for a response as Iketani turned back towards his papers with a small smile.

“Wow… I’m surprised he thought of me.” he said before laughing lightheartedly.

Itsuki and Takumi were finishing up changing into their work clothes as Itsuki paused for a second.

“By the way, Takumi…” he spoke, as Takumi gave him an inquisitive hum. “Is it true that you’ve been delivering tofu to the hotels on Mt. Akina for the past five years?”

“Yeah…” Takumi responded, looking at his friend through the corner of his eye. “Why?”

“Well, I thought we were friends.” Itsuki huffed, before lightly elbowing Takumi in the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Isn’t the answer to that obvious?” Takumi asked in return. “If I talked about it, we could have gotten into trouble…”

“Well… I guess so…” Itsuki relented as Takumi put on his hat and closed his locker. “Five years ago, we were just starting junior high…” Itsuki trailed off as he put his own hat on, and the two of them left the room in silence, nearly bumping into Iketani.

“I still can’t believe you’ve been driving since junior high.” he commented as the three of them walked out to the pumps. Yuichi curiously followed after them, having heard Iketani’s comment. “That means you’ve been driving much longer than I have. Every day, even in the snow and rain, on Akina…” Takumi turned to look at Iketani.

“Well, it’s early in the morning. So I don’t ever see anyone…”

“No, not that! Those _corners_! Weren’t you scared?”

“Well, yeah. In the beginning I was terrified. But after doing it every day for six months, that fear eventually just went away. When I accelerate, the tires slip naturally. So it took another half year until I could slip and control them as I wanted.”

“So, if I’m hearing you correctly,” Yuichi chimed in. “You mastered the downhill in a year.” Takumi shrugged.

“If you do it every day, your nervousness about slipping disappears rather quickly.” he tilted his head slightly. “I had nothing to do, so I started to see how close I could get to the guardrails…” Itsuki let out an alarmed sound as he latched onto Takumi’s arm.

“Would a normal person do something that dangerous?!”

 _‘Heh… normal…’_ Takumi chuckled to himself.

“Well, I never thought of it as dangerous.” he responded honestly as he reached up to scratch behind one of his ears. There wasn’t much that could prove to be actually dangerous to a Jorōgumo. He turned to look at Itsuki. “When I’m at my best, I can get as close as about one centimeter.” Itsuki recoiled, looking horrified as Yuichi and Iketani’s expressions morphed in shock.

“One… one centimeter?!” Iketani parroted, locking eyes with Yuichi.

“Mmm. Unless I find fun stuff like that to do, it’s pretty boring, helping with dad’s business, I mean. That’s why I never really wanted to improve as a driver… but impatience is a funny thing, and I just wanted to get home faster than before. So when I don’t have tofu on the way back, I go as fast as I can.”

“Takumi…” Yuichi took a few steps forward. “Can I ask you a question?” at Takumi’s nod, Yuichi cleared his throat. “How exactly do you drive when you have tofu in the car?” Takumi tilted his head. “If you drive too fast, you’ll damage the tofu, won’t you?” the spider pondered how to answer that for a moment.

“Well… I can’t go very fast on the uphill… dad puts water in a little paper cup, and has me put it in the cup holder. He said that if I can drive without spilling the water, then I won’t damage the tofu, even if I’m going fast.” he raised his hand and started making little motions with it as he continued to speak. “At first, I found it to be very difficult. Even when I drove _slowly_ it spilled all over the place.” Yuichi nodded at that.

“I would assume so.”

“Braking, moving the wheel, shifting, putting pressure on the gas pedal, if even one action is a little rough, the water will spill. Dad often says to _roll_ the water in the paper cup.”

“Roll the water…?” Iketani questioned.

“I think it’s the surface tension.” both of his arms were up and motioning as he spoke. “The water’s surface tension makes it roll around the rim of the cup. At each corner, I roll the water to the edge of the rim as I drive up the hill.” he let out a breath and shifted his hat as he looked off to the side. “It took me a very long time to be able to drift without spilling a single drop of water.”

“Drift without spilling the water?!” Iketani parroted once again. “Can you really do something like that?!” Itsuki grabbed a hold of the front of Takumi’s uniform, causing a small click of surprise to leave his throat.

“Don’t just lie about stuff like that! You’re just joking, right?!”

“What? No! I-” Yuichi cleared his throat quietly, catching Iketani’s attention.

“The primary point in controlling a car is the center of balance.” he said, and Iketani nodded.

“Right, Keiichi Tsuchiya also says so in that video of his that we watched.” he said, and Yuichi hummed.

“In order to drive without spilling the water in the paper cup, you have to master the car’s center of balance. Not to mention drifting…” they turned back towards Takumi and Itsuki, catching sight of the younger of the two putting Takumi in a headlock as he continued to rant.

“...Damn it Takumi, it’s impossible to do that!”

“But I’m not lying!” Takumi whined pitifully.

“I don’t believe you! Just because you beat Keisuke Takahashi… Oh! You’re carrying it way too far! I know better-” the sound of a car horn caused Takumi to quickly yank himself free from Itsuki’s grasp, causing him to fall over.

“Oh, a customer.” he said pleasantly, before hurrying over towards the vehicle. “Welcome! What can I do for you?”

Yuichi stayed silent as he watched Takumi and Itsuki hurry around with their customer, his mind swimming.

 _‘Amazing, Bunta… his technique is way above just a regular mountain racer…’_ as the two finished up with the customer, sending them off as they should, Iketani walked up towards Takumi and set a hand on his shoulder.

“Takumi, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Huh?”

“Would you let me ride with you when you do the downhill at Akina?” Takumi blinked at Iketani in surprise, obviously not having expected such a question, and Yuichi chuckled.

He wasn’t surprised Iketani would ask such a thing.

~0~

_“You want to use the car?”_ Bunta asked, looking at Takumi with something akin to surprise. _“At this time of the day?”_

 _“To be honest, I didn’t think you’d let me.”_ Takumi responded nervously as Nejibana lounged on his head. _“It’s not that really that big of a deal-”_

 _“Kid, you’re overthinking again.”_ Bunta cut his kid off as he turned back to his newspaper and flipped a page. _“I honestly don’t mind.”_

 _“Huh?”_ Takumi blinked at his father in surprise. _“Are you sure? You don’t need it for anything?”_ he crossed his arms. _“Like another meeting at the Chamber of Commerce or something?”_ Bunta scoffed at that. _“Have you thought this through?”_

 _“You sound hesitant.”_ Tama chimed in from atop the television.

_“You make it seem like you’ll be in trouble if I don’t have to use the car.”_

_“Well, no… not in trouble per se, I didn’t mean it like that…”_

_“Just take the car, kid.”_ Bunta removed the cigarette from his mouth and flicked the ash into the ashtray beside him. _“In return, you get to pick me up from my meeting.”_ Takumi let out an exasperated groan at that as Nejibana clicked in amusement.

_“So you do have a meeting!”_

_“Yes, but I won’t need the car while I’m attending. You’re really trying to get out of whatever you need to do, huh?”_

_“What? No I’m not!”_

~0~

Iketani chuckled excitedly as he sat in the passenger seat of the 86, listening to the quiet sound of clicking coming from Takumi.

“My heart is really beating fast!” he chortled, turning to look at Kenji with a wide grin. “It’s like just before getting on the extreme ride at the amusement park.”

“Oh, shoot! Lucky you!” Kenji responded with his own grin. “I’m envious!”

“I don’t think it’s that much fun.” Takumi chimed in passively, a small smile on his face. His friend’s excitement was contagious. “Are you ready, Iketani? I’m going to start.”

“Yeah!” Iketani exclaimed, pulling his arm back into the car. “I can count on you, Takumi! Go all out!” Takumi peered at Iketani with a raised brow before turning back to the road ahead.

“Okay…”

“Shoo!” Iketani swatted at Kenji and Itsuki. “Get away, both of you!”

“Pull your arm back in the car and roll up the window.” Takumi said as he pulled away, leaving Itsuki and Kenji to watch with wide eyes, listening to the roar of the engine as it began to grow distant.

“It sounds great…” Itsuki sighed.

“It’s the best!” Kenji agreed. “A turbo can never sound like that!”

Iketani nearly yelped when he caught sight of Nejibana climbing up the back of Takumi’s seat, having never seen her before and not expecting her. The little spider clicked excitedly, causing Takumi to click a little himself.

“We’ll see, Nejibana.” he finally responded, causing the little spider to click a little, sounding angry. Takumi chuckled, then picked her up with a free hand and moved her to the dash, where she bobbed excitedly and seemingly rooted herself in place. Iketani turned his attention back towards the road.

 _‘The first corner is coming up.’_ he thought. _‘I’ll figure out what he does different from me, and then steal his technique…’_ he glanced at Takumi, who was glancing between the road and a busily clicking Nejibana, then back to the road, feeling anxiety climb up his spine as he noticed the corner drawing closer and closer.

“Hey…! Hey, Takumi! I really think you should brake!”

“You said go all out.” Takumi responded passively, to which Nejibana began clicking again.

“Yeah but-”

“Don’t scream too much.” after a moment, Takumi finally pressed down on the brakes as he sent the 86 into a drift around the first corner, dragging a scream from Iketani’s throat. Terror arced through him as the guardrail drew closer, closer, but the car never went through, instead gliding through the corner as though it were on a power rail.

 _‘How can he control the car like this?! Just what is going on?!’_ as they cleared the corner, Iketani’s scream finally died off, sweat rolled down his face. He could hear the chirpy ping of the speedometer and Nejibana’s rapid clicking. _‘The speedometer warning sound is on! That means the car is going way over a hundred kilometers an hour!’_ terror lanced through him once again as he turned his gaze back towards the road, another scream building in his throat. His inner wolf whimpered and cowered. _‘And the next corner is coming up!’_

Takumi watched as Iketani let out another scream of terror as they entered the next corner, feeling both slightly amused and vindictive. Now Iketani knew how Takumi felt in his car, probably.

 _“He’s going to pass out if he screams any louder, master!”_ Nejibana laughed uproariously. Takumi shot her an amused grin, before he felt the left side of his bumper lightly tap the rail.

“I guess I went too hard on that.” he commented.

 _“See master! I was right!”_ Nejibana crowed triumphantly, prompting Takumi to glance at Iketani and frown. She was right, he was out cold. With a small sigh, he slowed the car down and pulled a u-turn.

Itsuki let out a curious sound as he perked and looked down the road, catching sight of a pair of headlights coming their way. The familiar engine sound was enough to let him know it was the 86.

“The 86 is back already?” Kenji asked, sounding vaguely concerned.

“I wonder what happened.” Itsuki added, standing up straight. “It’s too early to return from the bottom.” the 86 pulled to a stop and Takumi rolled down his window.

“You probably won’t believe this.” he pointed at Iketani, prompting Kenji and Itsuki to hurry over and peer at him, shock crossing their faces.

“He’s passed out!” Kenji exclaimed, before Itsuki leaned into the car.

“Takumi… which corner?” Takumi gave Iketani one last glance.

“Somewhere between two and three.” he finally responded, and there was silence before Itsuki let out a dramatic, agonized wail.

“I can practically see it!” he bemoaned. “The agonized cry of his last moment echoed through Mt. Akina! The scary downhill! Iketani, between the second and third corners… passed out!” footsteps caught Takumi’s attention, and he turned to see Yuichi making his way towards him.

“It must be true…” he began sagely, startling Itsuki.

“Ah! Mr. Tachibana! Why are you here?!” Yuichi chuckled and sat a hand behind his head sheepishly.

“To be honest, I was curious about Takumi’s driving, knowing who his father is.” he said honestly, chuckling. “I suppose I’m not welcome here… am I?”

~0~

Keisuke lounged over the diner table, his elbow resting against it as he propped his head up with his arm.

“Take your time ordering.” the waitress said politely, bowing before walking off as Fumihiro sat across from him, pondering what Ryousuke had said.

“I know that guy.” he finally said. “Nakazato of the NightKids has no opponent in Myogi.”

“I can’t be impressed by the technique of a guy who drives an R32.” Keisuke huffed, idly stirring around the ice in his drink with his straw. “It’s just a car that is fast. That’s all.”

“I wonder if that’s true…” Ryousuke hummed, closing his eyes, and Keisuke turned his gaze towards him.

“Don’t you think so, aniki?”

“Here we go again.” Fumihiro chuckled. “Keisuke hates the R32.” his smile fell from his face as he turned towards Ryousuke. “But… I don’t think it’s good if Nakazato defeats him first.” Ryousuke’s own expression fell as well. “If the NightKids beat the 86 that we couldn’t… it would make the RedSuns appear to be a notch lower than them. The rumors about it are going haywire… that has to be Nakazato’s plan.

“I don’t think you need to worry about it. There is no one in the NightKids who can beat the 86.” Keisuke stopped stirring his ice. “As long as it’s the downhill of Akina, _no one_ can beat him. Only aniki will be able to handle it. That 86 is fast, and on a higher level than they’ll ever be.” Fumihiro let out a sigh as he sat his chin on his hands.

“I just don’t get it…” he mused. “Why can’t the new, state-of-the-art cars with high power beat the 86?”

“Sometimes,” Ryousuke began easily. “A car has too much power to do the job. That’s all.”

“Huh?” Fumihiro looked confused.

“The turbo power is a strong weapon on the straightaway, but when coming out of a corner, it hinders the car’s behavior. It’s a double-edged sword. From that aspect… once the 86 is set, it can go faster and faster. On the technical courses where the straights are short, sometimes the car that is aggressive can be faster, even though it lacks power.” Fumihiro hummed contemplatively.

“So, Keisuke’s turbo, which had increased power, had the opposite effect…”

“Exactly.” Keisuke took over as he began stirring again. His ice was melting. “On the downhill of Akina, the total amount of time I could use all of its three hundred fifty horses was very little.” flashes of his race against Takumi flashed through his mind. “Right after the moment I thought I had pulled far away from him, I had to brake for the next corner, and the time it took before I could accelerate was too long. It was pissing me off.”

“Well, that’s what happens with the FR that transmits power to the road surface using only the rear tires.”

“Hey, wait!” Fumihiro looked like he had a startling thought as Ryousuke lifted his cup to take a drink. “Then what will happen with the R32, isn’t that a four wheel drive? The ATTESA E-TS System can give stable traction even when giving it the gas, so he can use the turbo power as much as he wants, can’t he?” his expression became slightly panicked. “Nakazato’s R32 may be able to beat the 86…” after a moment of silence, Ryousuke gently set his cup down.

~0~

Takumi listened quietly, eyeing the food Itsuki had with him as his friend babbled on.

“... but I feel strange about it all… even the way I look at you has changed…” Takumi blinked at him.

“Huh? Why’s that?” Itsuki didn’t respond and instead held out the food to Takumi.

“Have another bun.” Takumi took one without a word and split it open, eagerly taking a bite and beginning to regret it when it burnt his tongue. Itsuki chuckled at him. “Well, I guess you’re still the same old Takumi when you’re doing that.” he said, taking a moment to allow his to cool off a little before taking a bite. “A spacey guy who’s default expression is exhausted, and is impatient when eating hot spring buns.”

“Stop calling me spacey.” Takumi whined. “It’s rude!”

“But it’s true.” Itsuki pointed out, before standing abruptly. “But at night, when you’re in the driver’s seat of the 86 and jump onto the mountain…” he extended his arms, as if to mimic holding a steering wheel, and turned his hands while making excited sounds. “You are the pride of the street racers in Akina! A hero everyone admires!” a small blush crossed the bridge of Takumi’s nose as he lightly rubbed at his cheek, a nervous motion that Itsuki’d seen time and time again.

“...Really?” he asked sheepishly. “Is that right?” he let out a chuckle and grinned a little. “That’s embarrassing-” Itsuki whacked the back of Takumi’s head, cutting him off with a yelp.

“I told you I’m not talking about _right now_!” he exclaimed. “ _Right now_ you’re just a spacey guy who’s eating hot spring buns!”

“Ow, there’s no need to hit me!” Itsuki sat back down with a huff, and with that the two went back to eating in silence.

It was much later in the day when Takumi spoke up again. The sun was in the middle of setting, the sky a vibrant array of yellows, pinks and purples.

“Hey, Itsuki?” Takumi didn’t pull his gaze away from the horizon.

“Yeah?”

“To tell you the truth, I feel kinda strange…”

“About what?” Takumi contemplated how to answer.

“During the last race, and yesterday when Iketani was in the car with me, I was just driving like I usually do.” he frowned a little. “I don’t get why everyone is so excited about it.” Itsuki turned to look at him. “I’ve never done anything that makes other people happy…” Takumi trailed off.

_‘I’m starting to think… that maybe driving is becoming fun…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in two days... how exciting! I'm so eager to begin writing for the next chapters (Kiyana)


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a memory appears again, a challenge is issued, two creatures meet for a discussion, and a certain blonde is pissed off

The sun was slowly setting in the sky, leaving an orange glow on everything it touched. The indistinct chatter of his teammates echoed around Takumi lowly.

“Really? And with Natsuki?” he heard someone say, catching his attention. Natsuki was his friend, he wondered why they were talking about her. “Man, she’s one hot babe, everyone wants a piece of that ass!” Takumi’s eye twitched and he turned to peer at the people talking, a frown settling on his face as he recognized them.

The person sitting on the bench, Miki, responded to his friend. “Well, she’ll do what I want her to do.” his expression turned smug. “I think it is time that I, well, heh, _broke her in._ ”

“What do you mean by ‘breaking her in’?” one of them inquired as a different man jabbed him with his elbow.

“You should know what he means!” he chuckled at the implications.

Miki took back the reign, a smug expression on his face. “All girls are the same. They act like they don’t want it first, but they’ll always come around. The other time I called her onto the roof an-” 

A loud bang echoed through the locker room, causing everyone to turn and look at Takumi as he had closed the door of his locker with his inhuman strength. He heard someone’s breath hitch beside him, he was visibly angry, no one had seen that before. He was getting fed up by the bullshit spewed by Miki.

“I think it is time to shut the fuck up, before I make you!” a clicking noise deep from his throat followed his claim.

“Who do you think you are?” Miki’s friend threatened him by raising his fist. “The little pipsqueak doesn’t know his place!”

Someone put a hand on Takumi’s shoulder. “Stop it, Takumi, before anything bad happens.” Takumi didn’t pay attention to them as he ripped himself free, his vision flashing. He wouldn’t be surprised if his eyes had shifted to a more red hue in response to his anger.

“I’ve had enough of listening to you bastards!” his voice was louder than before. He heard a few of his teammates shuffle away from him.

“You little shit!” Miki exclaimed before sprinting at Takumi, fully intending to hit him in the face. Yet, he missed as Takumi effortlessly dodged it before punching Miki back, barely remembering to limit his strength, lest he hurt the vulgar insect more than he knew he was allowed. Miki fell down instantly as others clamored around Takumi to stop him, which wasn’t enough, he was too strong and easily ripped himself free as he continued to try to get to his target. When the anger finally began to bleed from his vision and body, he was out of breath, he could feel the blood dripping from his fist as his teammates backed away from him. His ears were ringing, he wanted to shift-

Takumi jolted awake, the phantom twinge of the blow he’d landed on Miki already fading away as he processed where he was. After a moment of silence, he sat up, letting out a quiet sigh as he stared at the floor. Why was he dreaming about that time? It had long since passed, and as far as he knew, Miki wasn’t anywhere near his territory. He glanced at his hand, clenching it into a fist for a moment, before he glanced at his alarm clock. Five minutes to nine. With a soft groan, he lifted himself from his bed and started his daily routine, missing as Nejibana peered after him worriedly from his desk.

~0~

By the time he’d gotten to work, Takumi had put the memory completely out of mind, preferring instead to listen to Itsuki chatter on about various things like he always did.

“Iketani!” Yuichi’s shout caught Takumi’s attention, he turned his head to see his boss step from the shop and peer around, his eyes locking on them. “Hey, do either of you know where Iketani is?”

“Iketani?” Takumi asked curiously, peering around for the wolf at Itsuki chimed in dramatically.

“Oh, you mean Iketani, who’s terrifying screams echoed across Mt. Akina as he rocketed down the dangerous three-corner road and passed out!” Takumi gave Itsuki an empty look. “He just left on a delivery, he took the pickup truck.”

“Oh…” Yuichi turned his gaze towards Takumi. “Well, if Iketani’s not here, then maybe you can help, Takumi.” he lifted a set of keys. “Could you deliver some papers to the Yamada shop for me? You can take my car.”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Yuichi dropped the keys into Takumi’s hands.

“You don’t have to do it right away.” Yuichi informed him. “Do it on your next break if you like, just make sure to give me back my keys.”

“Yes sir!” Itsuki cleared his throat.

“Hey, boss?” Yuichi raised a brow at him. “You know, I have a license, too. Why do you only ask Iketani and Takumi to run errands?”

“Well, you see…” Yuichi crossed his arms. “Put your hand on your chest and tell me what you feel.” Itsuki let out a confused sound and did as he was asked. “Now do you understand?”

“No…?”

“Simply put, I can trust Iketani and Takumi to drive. You, on the other hand... you’d bring my car back with a dent the size of your caved in chest.” Takumi snickered at the wounded sound Itsuki released as Yuichi turned around. “And there you have it.” Itsuki began grumbling to himself as Yuichi walked away, a sour expression on his face. “If you _really_ want to help me out, come inside and help clean.” from Yuichi’s tone, that wasn’t a suggestion that he’d been giving him. With a sigh, Itsuki followed after Yuichi and ducked inside the shop, right as the sound of a car pulling in caused Takumi peer at the incoming customer. He took in the car’s dark colors, anxiety beginning to lick at his spine. Something about that vehicle was making him nervous.

“Welcome sir!” Takumi called out as politely as he could as he hurried over towards the car. Itsuki probably would have freaked out, looking at the dark vehicle. The driver’s side door opened and the driver stepped out, the slight smell of rot and old blood reaching Takumi’s nose and causing him to narrow his eyes slightly.

Definitely not human. Humans don’t tend to reek like that, not unless they’re already dead.

“My name’s Nakazato.” the man said easily. “Someone back on my turf told me I could contact a member of the SpeedStars at this station. Is that true?”

“Usually.” Takumi responded, sounding a little tense as he resisted the urge to click. “But said member is currently out on a delivery right now.” Nakazato breathed through his nose.

“Well, you still might be able to answer my question. Do you know when I can find that 86 at Akina?” Takumi frowned a little, this time not holding back the clicks. Nakazato’s eyes widened at the sound, and Takumi glimpsed the flash of a harsh, jagged slash around the strange creature’s throat in response to his clicking.

Dullahan, then?

“I don’t quite know, and I don’t know how the SpeedStars would know either. He isn’t part of their team.” Nakazato rose a brow at the answer. 

“You speak of that as if you know him.” Takumi remained silent at that, causing Nakazato to chuckle a little. “Alright, be that way.” he turned to get back in his car, but glanced at him. “But make sure you tell him that Nakazato of the NightKids will be waiting for him on top of Mt. Akina as ten o’clock this Saturday night. You got that, spider boy?” Takumi narrowed his eyes, his fangs appearing for moments as he threat postured as well as he could in a human form. Nakazato merely laughed as he got in and grabbed the handle of his door. “It’ll be a race to the bottom!” something seemed to strike him as he went to shut the door, and with a cursory glance around, he motioned Takumi forward. With a raised brow, Takumi stepped towards Nakazato, the smell strengthening the closer he got to the car.

“What?” Takumi asked, and Nakazato gave him a look.

“Seeing as at least one Jorōgumo lives in this area, I’ve suddenly found the need for help regarding territory boundaries.” Takumi rose his eyebrows, some of the tension draining from him as he processed those words. “I need you to help me with that, you’d know, seeing as spiders such as yourself are incredibly territorial.” Takumi let out a sigh, clicking a little in exhaustion.

“Yeah, sure.” he finally responded, causing Nakazato to brighten. “Meet me atop Akina, say, tonight, and I’ll bring a map or something, mark out the lines for you. There aren’t many major ones I know about in the area but I guess you’re being smart about this.” Nakazato chuckled.

“With spiders involved? I have to be. Thanks.” as Takumi backed away, the car door slammed shut with a slight flex of muscle, and the dark car drove away. Takumi huffed, repressing his form as he turned back to the store to see Itsuki staring at him with wide eyes as he approached.

“Takumi…?” Itsuki asked quietly once Takumi was within range. “What did you talk about? What are you gonna do? You just got challenged to another race!” Takumi pondered that, once again resisting the urge to click agitatedly.

“I’m not doing it.” he ignored the first question completely as Itsuki let out a choking sound. “I don’t drive a car unless it’s absolutely necessary.” with a huff, he turned and started his way towards Yuichi’s car.

He didn’t want to be at the station right now.

Eventually, it was closing time, Takumi let out a yawn as he began his walk home.

“Hey, Takumi?” Itsuki grabbed his arm, causing him to raise a brow at him as he turned to look.

“Huh?”

“Are you seriously not going to accept his challenge?” Itsuki asked, and Takumi tilted his head.

“Yeah. What’s it to you?” Itsuki let out a vaguely shaken huff.

“It’s the rules, if a racer receives a challenge, he has to stand up and accept it!” Takumi gave Itsuki an unimpressed look.

“Well, that may be true for a racer.” he began firmly. “But I’m no racer.” Itsuki let out a vaguely wounded sound. “Besides, being forced to accept challenges just isn’t my thing.” Takumi waved off Itsuki’s whine and once again started his journey home.

And at that same moment, not so far away on Akina, Takeshi grinned widely to himself as he ran Akina’s downhill, the slit on his throat oozing quicker than usual in response to his excitement.

 _‘Only two more days to go!’_ he thought eagerly as he cleared a corner. _‘86, Ryousuke Takahashi, your days are numbered! I’ll show you who’s number one!’_

~0~

Much later in the night, Takumi found himself heading towards Akina in the 86’s passenger seat, Bunta taking him up to the top before the scheduled meeting time. Nejibana was half dozed off atop his head, one of her legs dangling in front of Takumi’s eyes.

 _“You know the drill, right?”_ Bunta asked as they came to a stop. Takumi groaned.

_“If he starts something I have to finish it.”_

_“Not that!”_ Bunta huffed at Tama laughed at them from the dash. _“If your meeting ends early, find some way to call me! I don’t plan on coming back up here to pick you up for at least four hours. And, if you’re not at the pick up spot when I do come to get you, you have to walk home.”_

 _“You mean you’d just leave me here?”_ Takumi groused, sounding vaguely angry, and Bunta nodded. _“No leniency at all?”_

 _“Nope. Either be punctual or walk.”_ Takumi grumbled at that as he went to open the door, his sudden motion startling Nejibana awake.

 _“I’ll be here when you get here!”_ he huffed, and shut the car door behind him. After a moment, Bunta drove off, leaving Nejibana and Takumi alone to wait. 

_“I want to go home and sleep, master.”_ Nejibana bemoaned, and Takumi sighed.

 _“You know we can’t do that.”_ he responded, pulling a folded up map and a few pens from his pocket and waving them at his familiar. _“We have an obligation, remember?”_ Nejibana huffed at him, and quietly, they went back to waiting. They didn’t have to wait longer than ten minutes, for Nakazato arrived as planned and parked his car, quickly getting out and walking towards Takumi.

“I’m glad you didn’t bail on me.” he said, his eyes locking on Nejibana, and Takumi hummed.

 _“Well, be glad I didn’t.”_ he waved the map at him. _“I took the liberty of bringing a few different colored pens.”_

“Well, that’ll be helpful.” Takumi snorted, before turning towards the woods.

 _“Come on, we shouldn’t talk about these things out in the open like this, who knows what’ll be seen. I know of somewhere more private.”_ Nakazato rose a brow at that as Takumi entered the treeline, hurrying after the spider the two began their short trek.

Eventually, the spider led him to a small opening within the trees. It was relatively flat, a few boulders lying here and there, but other than that, it was quiet, and serene. Takumi stretched a little and, after a moment of hesitation, fully shifted, making sure to limit his size a little so he wasn’t overwhelming, even if the person he was talking to was a Dullahan.

 _“I’m not quite there yet when speaking a universal language in my true form.”_ Takumi clicked, understanding shot through Nakazato’s eyes as he spoke. _“So my own will have to do. Sorry if that gets confusing.”_

“Don’t be, I can understand you just fine.” Nakazato responded passively, the slit around his throat appearing and, after hesitating for a moment, the Dullahan decided that was enough and approached. “I’m still not comfortable with shifting around anyone but my mate, sorry.”

 _“Don’t be.”_ Takumi cocked him a small smile as he moved over to one of the boulders, Nejibana hopping onto it as he got out the map and the pens. _“Come on, let’s get this done.”_ Nakazato approached, peering at the map as Takumi uncapped a gold colored pen and began to drag it around the map. Mt. Akina, the gas station, Itsuki’s neighborhood, all became enveloped by a wobbly golden circle. _“This is the territory of a werewolf named Iketani. He’s the leader of the Akina SpeedStars. He and I share some territory.”_ he got out a red pen and drew. His nest, the gas station, Mt. Akina. _“That’s mine, and my father’s.”_

“Just how many creatures have territory out here?” Takumi hummed thoughtfully at that.

 _“Not many.”_ he shrugged, pulling out a black pen and circling the gas station boldly. _“This is the extent of what I know to be the territory of a Grim. We all know one another, the Grim is part of dad’s nest I think, so we all share territory to an extent.”_ Nakazato rose a brow, and Takumi sighed. _“As for the rest of Shibukawa… I don’t go around to those other areas, so I wouldn’t know. The stone steps are neutral territory though, no one is allowed to up and claim it.”_ Nakazato nodded and Takumi quickly scribbled down a legend in one of the margins, assigning creatures to colors once again, and then passed him the map, quickly capping his pens as the Dullahan pocked his new territory guide.

“Thanks for this.” he said, and Takumi hummed, watching Nejibana scuttle towards him and tap him lightly on the hand with a limb. “Oh, hello.”

 _“I’ve never seen a Dullahan before.”_ she clicked eagerly, bobbing a little, and Nakazato looked to Takumi for translation.

 _“She said she’s never seen a Dullahan before. She’s excited.”_ Nejibana bobbed again, and Nakazato chuckled at her.

“Is she always this eager?” Takumi let out an amused breath.

_“Yeah, pretty much.”_

They continued to chatter for a little bit, but eventually Nakazato had to go, so Takumi scooped up his familiar, shifted down, and followed him back out to the road.

“Hey, do you have a phone I can borrow real quick?” Nakazato rose a brow, before getting out a black flip phone, a soft pink rabbit charm dangling from the end.

“Yeah, here.” he passed the phone over and Takumi smiled at the rabbit.

“Cute charm.” he commented idly as he flipped it open and called his dad.

“Oh, shut up.”

_“Hello, Fujiwara Tofu Shop.”_

“Dad, it’s me.”

 _“Oh, Takumi. Did you finish your little meeting?”_ Takumi rolled his eyes at his dad’s tone.

“Of course I did, I wouldn’t be calling you otherwise.”

 _“Don’t get smart with me. I’ll be there soon.”_ and with those words, he hung up. Takumi clicked a little and handed the phone back over.

“Thanks, Nakazato.”

“Call me Takeshi, kid.” the Dullahan shot him a smile.

“Then call me Takumi, not kid.” Takeshi laughed.

“Will do.” and with a wave, he got in his car, started it up, and drove off. Takumi watched the car go blankly, Nejibana clicking curiously from his shoulder. Takeshi was a nice guy.

But that didn’t mean he was going to race him.

~0~

“It looks like the R32’s out again tonight.” someone in the crowd commented curiously, causing a nearby figure to perk a little. “He’s racing against the 86 tomorrow night, right? Everyone is talking about it! I’m definitely going to watch!”

“If Nakazato of the NightKids is challenging the 86 that beat Keisuke Takahashi, there’s no way we can miss that!” another responded excitedly. The nearby figure shifted, a small smile appearing on their face.

“On the surface, it may seem like a race between the SpeedStars and the NightKids, but it’s really a battle between Nakazato’s pride, and the pride of the RedSuns’ Takahashi Brothers!” a third tacked on.

“Aren’t some rumors saying that the 86 isn’t part of the SpeedStars?” the first questioned. “That would make it a race between the NightKids and Akina’s 86, not the SpeedStars.” the figure nodded slightly at the conclusion, that was the truth of it, wasn’t it?

“The details don’t matter!” the second cut back in. “Not with this race! Turn out doesn’t matter either, Ryousuke Takahashi’s not going to just sit back and watch it play out.”

“That’s right!” the first exclaimed. “Summer has hardly even begun and the nights are already heating up!” the figure chuckled a little before pushing their glasses back up on their nose, the lenses flaring in the light of a nearby street lamp. This was getting bigger, maybe they should bring their friends to watch this one.

~0~

Kenji let out a stressed, morose sigh as Iketani eyed him across the way, his elbows resting on the table. Kenji had come to the gas station earlier that day, looking and sounding completely panicked as he told him that everyone was talking about the race between Nakazato of the NightKids, and Takumi.

Takumi had responded saying that he wasn’t doing it, and that everyone was just getting their hopes up. It’d been devastating.

“What are we going to do?” Kenji whined pitifully.

“I don’t know, Kenji.” Iketani responded. “Everyone around town’s talking about the race, it’s only getting more and more widespread even as we sit here and bemoan our fate. It’s far too late for anyone to back out now. The best we can do it beg Takumi to race, but-”

“I don’t think Takumi has what it takes to go against an R32.” Kenji groused, his hands in his hair. “Takeshi Nakazato is as famous a racer as the Takahashi Brothers.” Iketani sighed.

“Yeah, it’d be a very tough race. It might even be over from the get-go… maybe we shouldn’t beg Takumi to race after all…” Kenji let out a sigh as Iketani sunk into his seat.

“Without that, there’s literally nothing we can do…”

~0~

Takumi sighed sleepily as his dad handed him to water cup, Nejibana silently watching as he sat it in the cup holder and paused.

 _“Hey… dad?”_ Bunta paused and looked at his kid.

_“Hmm?”_

_“Something happened at work yesterday… is an R32 any good?”_ Bunta rose a curious, and surprised, brow at his kid.

 _“R32?”_ Bunta hummed a little. _“Yeah… that’s a fast car…”_

 _“If it were you,”_ Takumi was looking at his father fully now. _“Could you win? In a downhill against the R32?”_ Bunta took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke skywards.

 _“Of course.”_ he finally responded. _“I’d win against any car I raced, R32 or not.”_ Takumi’s expression turned vaguely thoughtful as he looked at the wheel, causing Bunta to tilt his head.

 _“... do you think I could too?”_ Takumi’s quiet question took Bunta by surprise.

_“Well… I don’t know the answer to that, kid. It’d probably be a close race… why are you asking, anyway? You gonna race one?”_

_“No…”_ Takumi’s expression shifted a little. _“I… I was just curious. I’m going.”_ Takumi drove from the alley, leaving Bunta behind. The older spider tilted his head a little more as Tama peered at him from the wall.

 _“My hatchling told me that someone in an R32 came to the gas station and challenged him.”_ the familiar stated, hopping onto his master’s shoulder. _“She hadn’t been with Takumi at the time, but he told her about it. He doesn’t want to race but it’s obviously on his mind, not to mention his opponent already told everyone that he was racing him without getting an answer on the matter.”_

 _“Oh?”_ Bunta hummed, taking another drag from his cigarette. _“I wonder what he’ll do about this… an R32… maybe I should adjust the 86’s settings.”_

Bunta’s words echoed in Takumi’s head as he ran. A close race.

 _“Master!”_ Nejibana’s voice caught his attention. _“There’s someone in the road!”_ Takumi immediately stepped on the brakes, slowly coming to a stop before the figure standing there. He first took in the familiar rear end of the yellow FD, then locked his eyes on Keisuke Takahashi, his eyes smouldering and his posture tense, Takumi knew he couldn’t see into the car, but was nervous anyway as he shifted down into his human form. Keisuke started towards the 86, his stride sure and steady as Takumi sighed, unbuckled, and moved to open the door. _“Master?”_

“Stay here, Bana.” he opened the door and got out. He and Keisuke immediately locked eyes, silence reigning around them.

“... You’re a hard person to catch.” Keisuke finally spoke up, causing Takumi to tilt his head a little. “But, I thought that I’d be able to catch you if I came out here around this time. I think it was about this time of the night when I first encountered you.” Takumi gave Keisuke a vaguely tired look. “Okay, I get it, get to the point, I am. I heard you’re going against Nakazato from the NightKids. Everyone’s talking about it.” Takumi clicked his tongue.

“For your information, I never accepted that challenge, and I don’t like being forced into things I never planned on doing.”

“What?” Keisuke sounded taken aback.

“He came to my work and directed a challenge at me while not knowing I was his target. I never agreed, nor did I deny, but I thought that he’d have enough tact to keep it quiet until he got an answer. I don’t intend to race.”

“Just what the hell do you mean, you don’t intent to race?” Keisuke sounded dumbfounded, and Takumi merely leveled him with a blank stare. With Itsuki, he would have backtracked, knowing the meaning behind that look, but Keisuke didn’t know him well enough for that, and the blonde pointed at him. “NightKid Nakazato issued you a personal challenge, right? Why don’t you just accept the damn race? I know you can beat him, damn it! Just show him who’s the fastest!”

“Why are you getting so heated?” Takumi questioned, confused. “Why does any of this matter to you? This is between me and him.”

“No, it’s not just between you two!” Keisuke was beginning to look and sound enraged. “It’s because you beat me!” Takumi’s posture straightened as he tilted his head a little. “If you lose to _anyone_ , it’s gotta be to the Takahashi Brothers!” he pointed at himself with his thumb before pointing at Takumi once again. “Until one of us beats you, you can’t lose to anyone else! Not even to a goddamn R32!” Keisuke spat the car’s model with such venom that it made Takumi raise his brows a little, before his own expression began to reflect the low, simmering anger he was beginning to feel.

“I said I wasn’t going to race him!” Takumi growled. “I have no reason to.”

“Reason?!” Keisuke took a threatening step forward, Takumi rose an unimpressed brow. “Does a racer _need_ a reason to race?!” Takumi locked eyes with Keisuke again, resisting the urge to click angrily.

“Who ever said I was a racer?” he stated, his tone eerily quiet but firm. Keisuke’s expression warped in fury.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes!” he snapped. “Are you being sarcastic?! In order for your technique to be as good as it is, you must have practiced for years! Why would someone drive like a racer if he’s not a racer?!”

“I don’t drive like I do because I like it!” he snapped back, causing Keisuke to take a step back. “I do it in order to help out at home. The faster I get home from a delivery, the more sleep I get, and the more energy I have for the day ahead and, eventually, the next delivery, where I do it all over again!” Keisuke blinked at him a little, obviously surprised, before his anger visibly took back over and he scoffed.

“It all sounds like excuses, stop denying it!” he took that step forward again. “No one can get as good as you if they hate driving.”

“That’s not it.” Takumi crossed his arms and looked away, his expression softening the slightest bit. “I don’t think you’d understand.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand!” Keisuke snarled. “Could someone who hates driving _ever_ master drifting? Only a person who loves the sport could ever even begin to dream of mastering something like that!” the blonde growled, taking a moment to observe Takumi silently. “Maybe you don’t realize it, but you _are_ a racer. No matter what you say, deep down you _have_ to love driving, do you hear me?! And if you love driving, then that makes you racer enough, and if you’re a racer, then you should be proud of your driving skills!” Takumi widened his eyes at that, looking back at Keisuke in surprise, and the blonde knew he had his full attention. “Accepting challenges is a racer’s pride!” he turned around with a huff, walking back towards his FD. “... People like you make me _sick_.” Takumi felt his heart suddenly stutter painfully at those words, his expression falling as he watched the blonde get in his car. Why did that hurt to hear? 

Keisuke took a final glance back at Takumi using a side mirror as he closed the FD’s door, taking in the confused, alarmed, and vaguely hurt expression on his face with a huff as he started the car up. As he pulled a u-turn and sped off, he felt he’d accomplished something in coming out here. From how Takumi had spoken, the brunet truly believed everything he’d said, but Keisuke’s words had obviously hit something in him. He obviously did like driving, and Keisuke hoped his words would force him to realize that. If not, well, then he would make him recognize that, through any means necessary. 

Takumi continued staring after the FD silently, Nejibana clicking at him inside the car.

 _‘Do I really like driving… but just don’t realize it?’_ he scoffed and turned away, ignoring Nejibana as she called out to him in worry. _‘Still… being forced to accept every challenge that comes along… that isn’t for me!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes, violence and drama in my good car anime (Kiyana)


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a spider gets manipulated towards a desired outcome, and a large crowd begins to gather atop Akina

Yuichi let out a quiet sigh as he leaned against the wall near the gas station’s garage, listening to Itsuki and Iketani talk to each other quietly about tonight.

“Do you think we’ll be able to convince Takumi to do it?” Iketani asked tiredly, he obviously knew the answer but had to ask anyway.

“No.” Itsuki let out a sigh. “I know him better than anyone, he’ll never do it now that he’s settled on the decision… he hates being forced into things or having to follow others’ orders.” Yuichi chuckled quietly at that. “He looks real mellow, but once he says something, nothing short of a miracle can change his mind.”

 _‘Stubborn to a tee.’_ Yuichi grinned. _‘He really takes after his father, huh?’_

“Takumi… he doesn’t understand why racers have to accept challenges.” Itsuki continued. “The whole system seems to offend him.” Itsuki let out a vaguely stuttery sound. “When someone tries to force him to do something, he _snaps_.” Itsuki’s tone had Yuichi raising a brow. “One time, in eleventh grade, he flipped out and beat up a group of seniors after football practice.”

“Huh?” Iketani sounded taken aback. “Takumi did that? Really?” Yuichi let out an amused humph, before finally standing up straight and walking towards the store. Jorōgumo are touchy creatures and one should be wary of pissing one off, but Yuichi knew how to handle a Fujiwara Jorōgumo.

Maybe he’d have a talk with Takumi on his shift tonight.

The day passed by quickly enough for the Grim’s taste, Iketani and Itsuki taking off for the night right as Bunta dropped Takumi off to get ready for his shift, quickly driving away after shooting Yuichi a look. He worked pretty quietly all day, looking spacier than usual. Yuichi wondered if he had something on his mind. When Takumi stepped into the shop, it was close to closing, and the young spider looked ready to leave as he peered around for him, catching sight of the Grim as he smoked a cigarette on one of the couches.

“Boss, I finished cleaning up outside.” he called over to him, causing Yuichi to look up.

“Oh, thank you.” he nodded at the kid.

“No problem.” he responded quietly. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Hey, Takumi.” Yuichi caught him before he could turn away, prompting him to tilt his head curiously. “Come and sit for a little, I wanna talk.”

“Okay…?” Takumi did as asked, sitting down across from Yuichi with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“I overheard some talk earlier today.” he said carefully, flicking cigarette ash into a nearby ashtray. “You’re racing against an R32 tonight?”

“What?” Takumi’s expression warped angrily. “I-”

“You shouldn’t do it.” Yuichi interrupted him quickly before he could uncap anything. If he were truly like Bunta, that kid was a hair’s trigger from snapping just because he brought the race up at all. “That guy’s bad news.” Takumi looked terribly confused by that as he reached up and placed a hand on the side of his head.

“I wasn’t-”

“No, no, I know what you’re gonna say.” Yuichi cut Takumi off once more, and he firmly ignored the slightly annoyed click the young spider let out. “I’ve known everything from the beginning. I know you don’t want to accept the race, and that all of this talk is pressuring you into it. Itsuki’s been bugging you about it constantly, hasn’t he?” after a pause, Takumi nodded. “You know, for a Jorōgumo, you really are far too nice sometimes. You should really stand up for yourself around him.” Takumi glanced away, obviously unnerved by the sudden topic, and Yuichi sighed. “That’s besides the point. Whatever you do, don’t race that R32.” Takumi’s attention was back on him once again. “There’s a lot you don’t know about cars. Do you even know what an R32 is capable of?” there was a small stretch of silence.

“Is an R32 really that amazing?” Takumi’s tone caused Yuichi to look up from the ashtray and almost wince. The expression on Takumi’s face was _not_ a happy one. It was an expression he easily recognized, even after not seeing it for years.

 _‘He may look like his dam, and even act like her half the time,’_ Yuichi thought, pleased that Takumi’s full attention was now on him. _‘But he truly is Bunta’s kid. I knew he’d take the bait.’_

“It’s beyond amazing.” he commented passively, watching as Takumi’s eyes flashed with displeasure. “That car’s in a class by itself!” he leaned back against the couch, making sure to look and sound positive and chatty while keeping track of where the young spider was. He was playing a risky game, messing with a Jorōgumo as he was, and even if he hadn’t done this in a while, that didn’t mean he’d forgotten the rules. “Its driving system combines everything good about FR and four-wheel drive. It’s a beast!” he gave Takumi an easy look. “In my honest opinion, an 86 is no match for it.” Takumi narrowed his eyes a little. “Maybe if the driver was an amateur, you’d have a chance, but you’re up against someone famous, right? I’m not insulting your skill any.” Takumi seemed to be lost in thought, his expression very displeased at what he was pondering. “Hey, Takumi?” the young spider startled a little, looking back up at him. “You still with me, space cadet?”

“Yeah…” Yuichi hummed.

“Well, you just became famous yourself by beating that team from Akagi.” he said as he put out the small nub his cigarette had become. “As much as I hate to say it, I genuinely think you shouldn’t ruin your name so fast… it’s not wise to go up against someone so skilled, even if you have a small chance of winning. It’s more likely that you’d lose. You hear me, kid?” Yuichi pulled out another cigarette and went to light it. “Since your opponent’s driving an R32, no one would call you a coward for backing out.” as he flicked at his lighter, trying to get it to light, he noticed an affronted and vaguely hurt expression come over Takumi’s face, his eyes flashing in recognition at the term coward, and Yuichi found himself feeling curious. Did someone already have a go at him about this? They must have, if his reaction to him was anything to go by. Takumi abruptly stood and started towards the door, pausing by it with a hand on the frame.

“Yuichi… thank you for the warning.” Takumi said quietly, his tone surprisingly calm compared to the anger he’d displayed while the Grim had been talking. “But I couldn’t care less what others think of me, or any fame I could possibly have as a racer.” Yuichi hummed.

“So you aren’t backing down, then?” Takumi’s hand on the door frame clenched a little.

“No.” the young spider turned to look at him, his eyes flashing red. “Hearing you talk about how amazing that car is pissed me off, and only made me want to see just what the hell the hype could possibly be about. And the thought of being called a _coward_ …” Takumi began clicking at that, his posture tensing. “It’s enough that I’ve already been basically called that already. I’m not a coward.” the spider’s tone was starting to border hysterical while still remaining even and quiet. It was unnerving. “I’m not afraid of some R32, or any other car for that matter.” with a final click, Takumi strode in back and almost slammed the door shut. After a moment, Yuichi wilted into the couch with a relieved sigh.

“I was right, he’s _exactly_ like his father. Sore spots and all.” he fell silent, thinking about the look Bunta had shot him earlier. The old spider probably knew about the race, and knew Yuichi would talk to him about it. Just what was that damn arachnid up to now?

~0~

Three figures stood together in silence as they listened to the ecstatic chatter around them. One fidgeted, a slightly uncomfortable expression on their face as the crowd visibly grew larger.

“There’s even more people out tonight then at the Akagi race!” someone nearby exclaimed.

“Why did so many people come out tonight?” a second asked.

“You know at least half of them aren’t here to see the R32.” a third laughed.

“Yeah!” a fourth chimed in. “They want to see that 86 drift again!”

“They say he barrels through corners as if they’re straightaways!” the first took back over. The third crooned excitedly.

“I can’t wait to see this race!” the three figures looked at each other.

 **“We should split up.”** one said quietly, pushing their round glasses back up their nose. **“So if one of us witnesses something, we can report it back.”**

 **“Smart.”** the second chimed. **“Meet up at the top after the race?”**

 **“Deal.”** and with a quiet debate, the one with the round glasses stayed while the other two went separate directions. They needed to see this race tonight. Their fourth companion had already chosen their own, and they wanted to choose too.

This race would help them with that, they hoped.

~0~

Takumi was absolutely in a panic as he called various numbers asking after his father, every single time turning up with a negative response and him asking them to have him call home if he arrives.

 _“Damn it! I can’t find him anywhere! Of all the nights dad could have picked to vanish with the damn car, tonight had to be the night!”_ Takumi nearly snarled into the quiet home, Tama watching him from a top the television with a nervous posture. _“The one time I change my mind on something! Ugh, I should have asked him if I could use the car this morning!”_ he felt a scream bubble up in his throat, and for the first time in a while, he didn’t hold it back. _“WHERE THE HELL DID HE GO?!”_

_“Hatchling, maybe we should calm down-”_

_“Just how am I supposed to calm down, Tama?!”_ Tama could see the genuine panic in Takumi’s eyes as he snapped at him. _“That race is at ten, and if I don’t go I’ll be branded a damn coward by Keisuke Takahashi, and Outsiders know who else!”_

 _“Why do you care about that Keisuke boy’s opinion?”_ Takumi whipped around to look at him, his eyes wide as he gripped at his head.

 _“I DON’T KNOW!”_ the young Jorōgumo began pacing around at that, too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice Nejibana descending onto the television to stand with her father.

 _“I hope your master comes home soon.”_ she said quietly, and Tama bobbed in agreement with her statement as they watched Takumi panic.

_“Me too, hatchling. Me too.”_

~0~

Itsuki watched tearfully from the back of Kenji’s 180 as the crowd passed by, his heart sinking when he realized that the sea of faces just wasn’t ending.

“Look at that crowd.” Iketani whistled lowly.

“There are far more people here than at the FD run.” Kenji commented quietly.

“The race between Takumi and Nakazato must have gained quite a lot of traction in the rumor mill.” Itsuki let out a genuine whine of terror as he wilted, gripping his head in the back of the car.

“What are we gonna do?” he choked, and Iketani let out a tired sigh.

“The only thing we can do; tell Nakazato that we can’t control what that kid does, and apologize profusely for his wasted time. It’s either that, turn tail and run, or hope that Takumi will show up for pull through at the last minute, just like he did with Keisuke Takahashi.” Itsuki let out a wail.

“Takumi! Please show up!”

One of the three figures stood alone at the top of the pass, watching the SpeedStars vehicle pass and listening to the humans around them chatter excitedly as they leaned against a tree. They fidgeted with the hem of their hoodie, and flinched when they accidentally tugged on a hidden feather, silently cursing that they had to stay inconspicuous. The roar of multiple engines filled the air and they sighed. Show time.

“Here they come!” someone exclaimed excitedly as the NightKids came into view, causing various bystanders to croon over the lading R32 with a renewed vigor.

“It’s so cool!” someone near them commented as the cars passed. “That black R32 is like a champion of the street.” they glanced at the SpeedStars, taking in their anxious expressions with a curious tilt of the head, before pulling away from their tree and making their way closer to them, ducking into the treeline and allowing themselves to vanish to achieve their current little goal.

“So those are the NightKids.” they heard the leader say quietly, one of his companions holding a radio and the other looking like he’d pass out. “They sure as hell came with a big group.” the smallest of the three let out an alarmed whine as he turned to look at them.

“K-Kenji,” he spoke up, his gaze locked on the one with the radio. “We should go and apologize to them!”

“Uh… maybe we should wait, Itsuki...” Kenji trailed off nervously as their leader peered into his car.

“We still have a full forty five minutes until ten.” his tone was confident as he turned to look at the smaller male. “Since we have time, we should go talk him into it.”

“What?” his companions both said at once.

“I-I dunno if that’s such a good idea, Iketani.” Kenji stuttered. “Dragging Takumi into a losing battle like this!”

“We’ll never know it’s a losing battle until they actually race.” Iketani said firmly, and the figure nodded to themselves. That’s as true a statement as any.

“Of course he’ll lose.” Kenji retorted. “It’s so obvious if you’re thinking clearly. He’s going to race the R32, there’s no way he can match its power not to mention it’s got 4WD ATTESA E-TS!”

“I thought the exact same thing at first.” Iketani said, causing them to look confused. “But since I’ve been here, I’ve started thinking that there may be a chance. Of course, if this was the circuit, the 86 wouldn’t stand a chance. But this is a damn _mountain pass_!” he turned to look down the road, his eyes flashing amber. “This is the pass Takumi has been running for the last five years. There’s no way anybody could know what’s going to happen.” his eyes narrowed. “When Takumi drives that 86, it’s no longer some ordinary 86. Somehow, he transforms it into a super machine with infinite fighting power! I know, because despite the short time I witnessed it, I’ve been in that car when he’s at the wheel. His driving is far better than anything we’ve ever imagined.”

“You _can’t_ be talking about that time when you fainted after three corners down the hill, your death wails echoing through Mt. Akina.” Iketani let out a choked sound, suddenly rounding on Itsuki with an upset expression.

“Shut the hell up, his downhill driving is that crazy!” he crossed his arms in a pout. “And if you don’t believe me, there’s one other person that I _know_ feels the same way.”

“Huh?” Itsuki looked confused. “Just who could that be?”

“You should know. There’s only one other person who’s been able to get a good look at his driving.”

“You’re not actually talking about-”

“I am. Keisuke Takahashi of the RedSuns knows _exactly_ what I’m talking about.” as he said this, the sound of screeching tires caused the figure to peer down the road.

“Hey, the RedSuns are coming!” someone exclaimed, causing the crowd to burst into sound, especially the girls, much to the male portion’s dismay.

“The whole team?” someone else asked.

“No, just the Takahashi brothers!” Iketani clicked his tongue.

“I knew they’d be here.” he said, watching as they pulled up beside the NightKids and came to a stop, both getting out with slightly annoyed looks on their faces, Keisuke walking towards his brother and shoving his hands in his pockets as he eyed the R32 sourly.

“Well.” he huffed. “I’m looking forward to seeing just how this race turns out.”

“Then watch closely.” the R32’s driver spoke up. The figure remembered their friends talking about him, Takeshi, they remember his name being. “I’ll show you who the fastest man in Gunma is, and it’s neither of you, nor that 86.” Keisuke bristled a little at his words, causing Ryousuke to nudge at him with his foot.

“Don’t let that get to you.” he said firmly, before looking down the road and glancing their way. “It looks like the 86 isn’t here yet.” Keisuke’s eyes locked on the SpeedStars and his lips narrowed to a displeased line. He’d be coming over to talk to them, the figure could tell. The RedSuns and NightKids split ways after that, the Takahashi brothers immediately making their way towards Iketani, with Keisuke leading the charge.

“Oi!” Keisuke began as he came to a stop in front of them. “Where’s Fujiwara?” Itsuki gulped and hid behind Kenji.

“At home.” Iketani responded ruefully, causing Ryousuke to raise his eyebrows. “He doesn’t want to race. But that’s not stopping me from going down there and trying to convince him otherwise.” Keisuke’s jaw clenched as he clenched his fists.

“Coward.” he hissed, before recoiling as Itsuki came to stand beside Iketani, a livid expression on his face.

“Takumi is _anything_ but a coward.” he growled. “He’s not here because he hates being forced to do things. Being forced into something like this goes against everything he’s figured out in life, and if you _dare_ to call him trying to stay out of it _cowardice_ , then you only care about the unimportant things about this race.” the small male took a step back. “If Takumi ever heard you call him a coward, he’d punch you. He’s got the patience of a saint, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a temper.” Itsuki finally fled, going back to hiding behind Kenji as Keisuke processed what he said.

“Come on, you two.” Iketani turned towards his car. “Let’s go, we have to convince Takumi to race tonight.” Kenji and Itsuki nodded, and as the three of them left, the figure watched Keisuke deflate.

“Come on, Keisuke.” Ryousuke sighed. “There’s no use in standing here looking like idiots, let’s go do a run.”

 **“Curious.”** they said as everything settled down back to a quiet mumble. **“Very curious.”** they might just keep an eye on those two brothers tonight, as well as watch the race.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow hi it's been like, three weeks since this was last updated, oops. Hopefully new chapters will come out with a slightly higher frequency now that I actually want to write haha. (Kiyana)


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which time ticks down while two teams way impatiently, and a certain spider is miffed about it all

Nejibana could practically feel her master’s downward spiral as he sat on the living room floor, his head in his hands as one of his legs tapped irritably against the floor.

_ “What the hell is going on?” _ she heard him mutter.  _ “I’m so tense I could stress myself into a molt. Why do I want to go to Akina so badly?” _ he peered up at her, prompting her to hop from atop the television and make her way towards him as he spoke.  _ “Do I actually like driving that much? I don’t think I do.” _

_ “It… it may not be a matter of how much you like driving, master.” _ Nejibana said, hardly reacting as Takumi scooped her up.  _ “You’ve driven Akina every day for five years, right? Maybe you just want to see what you can do against different cars. Get a feel for what you're capable of.” _ Takumi was silent as he pondered that.

_ “You might be right.” _ he eventually conceded, his voice quiet and contemplative.  _ “Yuichi said that the GT-R is really fast, that everyone agrees about that too. He said I wouldn’t stand a chance. So I want to challenge that car with everything I’ve got.” _ he smiled at her.  _ “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before. It’s like I can’t stop thinking about racing, I don’t even own a car. And the more I think about it, the more I want to race. It’s weird.” _ Nejibana clicked at his words, starting to feel a little relieved now that Takumi was calming down, even as he glanced at the clock and frowned.  _ “Stupid dad, just where the hell is he?” _ Nejibana perked as the sound of squeaking brakes reached her, the interior of the house falling completely silent. After a moment, there was a very quick, almost rhythmic tapping at the steel shutters, causing Takumi to dart up and shift into his human form as he made his way towards the door, depositing Nejibana on the counter as he passed it.

Taking a moment to finish his shift, Takumi opened the door and peered out, his eyes widening a little as he caught sight of Iketani, Kenji, and Itsuki.

“Takumi, where’s the 86?” Itsuki asked before anyone could open their mouths, prompting Takumi to emerge from the house.

“It’s not here.” he said, sitting down. “Dad up and vanished with it.”

“What?!” Iketani sounded appalled.

“Do you have any idea where he could be?” Kenji asked nervously.

“I thought that he might be at one of those bars he goes to every now and again, but I called every number he has down. It’s like he’s not even real.”

“You mean, you couldn’t even find him?” Iketani asked, and Takumi nodded softly. There was silence, before Kenji let out a sound of distress.

“That’s  _ so _ not good!” he bemoaned. “If you don’t even have the 86, then there’s no use in us being out here to talk about it!”

“This really wasn’t what we expected when we came out here.” Iketani said, crossing his arms.

“And why exactly  _ did _ you come out here anyway?” Takumi tilted his head, causing the three of them to freeze. “It was to convince me to race tonight, wasn’t it?”

“... Kind of, yeah.” Iketani finally responded.

“The people out on Akina right now are making a huge fuss over it.” Itsuki chimed in. “The crowd kept getting bigger while we were there!”

“It doesn’t help that the NightKids and the Takahashi Brothers are stirring them up.” Kenji added, suddenly looking nervous. “Keisuke Takahashi… may or may not have called you a coward.” Takumi’s gaze snapped towards him, his expression turning from sour to almost murderous.

“Despite all of that,” Iketani cut back in loudly, regaining Takumi’s attention. “Everyone is nervously waiting for you to show. You’re tonight’s star, Takumi! You-”

“Hey, hold on!” Takumi’s expression changed once again. “Don’t give me such a hard time…”

“Itsuki said that you don’t usually change your mind about anything once it’s settled, so what else am I supposed to do?”

“That’s just it, Iketani.” Takumi sat up a little straighter. “I  _ did _ change my mind about tonight. I really wanted to go.” he ignored how his friends reacted to that. “But with the car missing, just what can I do?” with a frown, he looked down once again. “If I’m honest, I’d been spiraling before you three arrived.” he looked up in time to witness Kenji falling to the ground with Itsuki, the latter of which letting out a cry of despair.

“This is  _ so  _ bad!” Iketani howled, crouching down. “What are we gonna do?”

“Hope my dad gets back soon.” Takumi mumbled, a small click rising from his throat as he said that, before he began clicking once more, this time in surprise, as Iketani grabbed his arms.

“I have an idea!” he exclaimed, causing the other two to look at them. “Why don’t you do the run in Kenji’s 180?”

“That’s a great idea!” Kenji exclaimed, his expression suddenly brightening. “It’s the same FR, and it even has turbo for that extra kick of power!”

“I’m positive it’ll do the trick with you behind the wheel!”

“No.” Takumi responded blankly. “It won’t work.”

“What?” Kenji blinked. “Why?”

“I’m not gonna race in somebody else’s car.” he answered firmly, hearing muffled clicks of agreement. “It’s gotta be my own car that I’m used to.” Iketani and Kenji contemplated that.

“Well, I completely understand what you mean.” Kenji sighed, crossing his arms.

“Driving somebody else’s car is not a good thing in the racing world.” Iketani agreed.

“Even if Takumi did race in Kenji’s 180, how do we know he’d be any good in it?” Itsuki pointed out.

“Anyway,” Takumi cut back in. “I’ll wait until the very last minute. It’s the only thing I can do…” and with that they all fell silent.

“We should head back and explain that you might be a little late.” Kenji spoke up suddenly, a determined expression in his eyes. “If we get up there fast enough, we can get them to postpone for just a little longer!” as Kenji spoke, the that oh so familiar sound of the 86’s engine reached his ears. It was a distant, quiet sound, but enough to make him perk and look down the road. “They have to understand-”

“Shh!” Takumi cut Kenji off as he stood abruptly. “I can hear it! He’s back!”

“What?” Iketani stood beside him, tilting his head as he peered down the road. “Hey, wait, you’re right! I hear it too!”

“What are you two talking about?” Kenji sounded absolutely lost.

“He’s turning off the highway.” Takumi began. “Gunning the engine twice, it has a rhythm, not to mention that roar… there’s no doubting it! He’s back.”

“You can tell that from just the exhaust and engine?” Kenji sounded taken aback. “You’re sure it’s your car?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Takumi nearly snapped. “That is absolutely my car!” he turned to look at Iketani. “Go, all three of you. Get back to the mountain. Tell them I’ll be up soon, and that I’m sorry for the wait.” Iketani nodded, a sharp gleam entering his eyes.

“Yes sir!” he quickly turned and rushed to his car, Kenji and Itsuki hurrying after him in a panic as he started her up. After a moment, the three of them were gone, and Nejibana took that as her queue to emerge from behind the steel shutters.

_ “He’s cutting it close, master.” _ Nejibana muttered.  _ “We’ll arrive at the last possible second at this point.” _

“I’ll take what I can get, Bana. I’m just thankful he came back at all.”

~0~

Takeshi’s expression was not a particularly pleased one as he leaned against his GT-R, his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes locked on the Takahashi brothers, whom of which were both starting to look agitated. Keisuke wasn’t a surprise, but Ryousuke? Well, Takeshi couldn’t blame them, this was starting to look pretty bad for the RedSuns.

“Hey, Takeshi!” he heard one of his teammates speak up. “The Takahashi brothers are here!”

“I know, I’m not blind.” he responded. “And they look really anxious. Good.”

“Huh?”

“They told me right to my face that I’d lose.” he growled, his gaze locked onto Ryousuke. “Damn Ryousuke Takahashi! He’s not as good as his reputation suggests. He’s a coward, I’ll beat that 86 right in front of him and completely embarrass him.”

“And if you show that you’re faster than the 86 that beat Keisuke Takahashi, we can prove that we’re faster than the RedSuns!” a second teammate crooned excitedly, prompting Takeshi to let out an amused humph.

“This is a good opportunity to make the crowd realize something. The drift run can  _ never  _ beat the grip run.”

“There you go with that again!” the first teammate chimed in with a small laugh. “It’s like your favorite phrase!”

“And it’s the correct one.” Takeshi hissed. “The drift run is just a performance to rile up the crowd. It’s not a technique for driving fast.”

“You always say that so firmly, it’s just like you!” the second said.

“And I can only say it this firmly because I went through a drift stage myself, back when I drove an S13.” he let an agitated breath out through his nose, ignoring the phantom feeling of fur beneath his hands. “A racer who has outgrown the drift can drive the fastest in the grip run.”

“When you lost to that R32, it was really shocking.” the first commented, causing Takeshi’s eye to twitch as he turned to glare at him.

“Dumbass.” the second chided, ramming his elbow into his friend’s arm. “You know not to talk about that!”

“It doesn’t matter.” Takeshi growled, causing them to fall silent. “I’ve changed since then. Since that monster of a car defeated me, I’m driving better than ever in an R32 of my own. You can’t call yourself a street racer if you stop pursuing races. I can’t stand everyone making such a fuss about the drift technique.” he turned his glare down the road. “So that 86 better come out soon! I’ll show him that his little drifting show is no match for me!”

Across the lot, Keisuke and Ryousuke stood peering down the road, the elder of the two keeping an eye on his brother even from where he was standing.

“Does he make a habit of not showing up until the last minute?” Keisuke asked impatiently. “I know they went to convince him to come, but you’d think they’d be back by now!”

“That’s just it, Keisuke.” Ryousuke spoke up. “I don’t think he will. You told me that he was adamant about not coming, even if your words had any effect, and from what the SpeedStars said, they likely didn’t.”

“No, he’s coming.” Keisuke insisted, his mind flashing back to his argument with Takumi on Akina. He could clearly remember how hurt the other man had looked by his words, there was no way in hell his words didn’t have an impact. “I’m absolutely sure of it. He’ll be here.” as he says this, the sound of an engine catches their attention, and they turn to the road in time to see that lime green S13 pull into sight. Both straighten as it parks and shuts off, the three inside getting out as Iketani grinned.

“I guess we were wrong!” he exclaimed as he approached, and Ryousuke noticed Takeshi peer at them curiously. “He’s coming alright, seemed really aggravated about it too.” he heard Keisuke scoff.

“Told you he was coming.” Ryousuke elbowed him for the remark.

“Where is he now?”

“When we left, he was waiting for his dad to get home. Apparently, he’d gone out with the 86 without telling him, leaving Takumi to practically panic over it.” Iketani glanced at Keisuke. “Uh, I told him that you called him a coward, he wasn’t very happy about that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he glared at you once he got up here.” Keisuke crossed his arms.

“So? I don’t care.” Ryousuke could tell that he cared. “Whatever gets his ass up here.”

“He’ll need a little extra time.” Iketani spoke louder than before, likely to catch everyone’s attention. “But he’ll definitely be here soon! He said so himself!” Ryousuke chanced a glance at Takeshi, taking in the appeased and vaguely smug look on his face with a quiet scoff.

“Takumi was more agitated than I’ve seen him be in a while.” Itsuki’s voice caused him to look back at the group. “I mean he’s always agitated, but he doesn’t usually show it that much.”

“What do you mean?” Kenji asked, sounding confused. “He looked as tired as always.”

“You didn’t see it, Kenji?” Itsuki sounded a little surprised. “He was kinda twitchy looking. Like he was going to snap or something.” Iketani shifted nervously at that, causing Ryousuke to narrow his eyes. What were they talking about? After a moment of silence, Ryousuke heard the roar of an engine pick up from somewhere at the bottom of the mountain, no doubt Keisuke heard it too, from the way he flashed him a smirk.

Takumi himself was making his way up the pass, idly listening to Nejibana chatter excitedly as he simmered. Of course Keisuke Takahashi called him a coward. Why wouldn’t he? The blonde made it perfectly clear that he thought he was a coward up on Akina that night, so why wouldn’t he make it public how he felt?

_ “... Master?”  _ Nejibana’s voice cut through his thoughts, causing him to glance at her.  _ “Are you alright? You feel angry.” _

“I’m fine.” he responded, clearing a corner as he pressed his foot against the accelerator just a little more. “Just thinking.”

_ “If it makes you angry, you shouldn’t think about it.” _ Takumi sighed quietly.

“It’s not as easy as just not thinking about it, Bana. You should know that.” Nejibana huffed at the nickname, but didn’t respond to his words. She merely turned to look out of the windshield as the top of the pass drew closer and closer, the interior of the car bathed in an almost tense silence as Takumi’s mind once more focused on the task at hand, just in time for the top of the pass to come into sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something shorter than usual for today, I wanted to get something out. The next chapter will be the race and some exposition after, I hope to get that out today or tomorrow. Sorry for the wait! (Kiyana)


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the race finally comes underway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is long :D

Takeshi didn’t quite know how he was supposed to react, staring at his opponent as one of the smaller SpeedStars members practically bounced around him excitedly, blocking him from walking over to the NightKids’ side of the lot to, likely, explain himself to him.

Why didn’t that spider tell him that _he_ was his opponent tonight?

_“I guess we were wrong!”_ the SpeedStars leader’s voice suddenly echoed in his head.  _“He’s coming alright…”_

_‘They had doubted that he’d even come at all.’_ he thought to himself, his gaze turning towards the Takahashi brothers. Both looked incredibly relieved that Takumi had shown up. Movement in the corner of Takeshi’s eye caused him to glance back at the spider in time to see him catch sight of the siblings, a frown settling onto his face and a sharp glare forming in his eyes. Something was definitely going on there, if Keisuke’s flinch was anything to go by. 

Takumi forced himself to tear his gaze away from Keisuke, his angry thoughts swirling in his head disconcertingly. He wouldn’t keep looking, not when he was just working himself up over a word.

“Itsuki.” Takumi said, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder and halting his ceaseless movement. “Chill out.”

“Sorry, Takumi.” Itsuki responded. “But I’m just so excited for the race!”

“I know. But you’re causing a bit of a scene.”

“Doesn’t he always?” Kenji asked quietly, causing Iketani to snicker. Takumi exhaled through his nose, a slightly amused smile adorning his face for a moment, before he slid past Itsuki and started making his way towards the NightKids, or more specifically Takeshi, who was watching him blankly with his arms crossed.

“Hello again.” Takumi greeted as he stopped before the dullahan, small clicks rising from his throat. The NightKids standing nearby eyed him warily.

“Hello again, indeed.” Takeshi huffed. “Just why didn’t you tell me that _you_ were my opponent? You had plenty of opportunities to do so.” Takumi tilted his head at that, his clicking becoming a little louder. A few NightKids began distancing themselves from him, seemingly realizing just what he was.

“I wasn’t going to race.” he answered honestly. “So why tell you who I was. I wasn’t going to be here for it to matter.”

“What changed your mind?” Takeshi wasn’t angry, in fact he was very curious as to what could make a Jorōgumo change their mind so quickly. Takumi’s eyes flashed an angry red as he glanced at the Takahashi brothers, his eyes set in a glare once again.

“A certain blonde may or may not have insinuated that I’m a coward for not wanting to be forced into something like this.” he huffed, and now it all made sense. Jorōgumo are prideful creatures, of course Takumi would be affected by a simple word.

On the other side of the lot, Ryousuke watched blankly as Takumi and Takeshi interacted, obviously familiar with one another, even as the younger of the two kept shooting little glares at Keisuke every time he came in sight.

“That kid can hold a grudge.” Keisuke huffed quietly, quiet obviously put out by the display.

“At least you were right about him coming out, Keisuke.” Ryousuke responded. “Your words really did affect him.”

“It would seem so.” Keisuke leaned against his FD and crossed his arms, his expression vaguely pouty, causing Ryousuke to chuckle at him.

“Did you plan on telling him the R32’s weakness?” he asked, and Keisuke let out a breath.

“I was, but not anymore. Doesn’t seem like a good idea, he seems far too pissed off at me, and when I look at him I just feel disgust. Besides, he’s the enemy. And he won’t lose, even if he doesn’t know the R32’s weak point.” Ryousuke raised a brow at his younger brother’s answer. He had an idea as to exactly why Takumi hadn’t wanted to race tonight, and couldn’t blame him. If his theories were true, his race against Keisuke was his first, one he’d agreed to because his father had promised him something, thinking back on what he’d overheard all those nights ago. This race was one he’d practically been forced into, especially with Keisuke’s not so subtle manipulations. He’d been against racing, but came out anyway.

This was one of the few times he wondered if Keisuke even realized that not everyone who could drive well liked racing.

“Despite all of this… that super front-heavy GT-R, versus the smaller and lighter 86… I wonder how exactly this race will turn out, even if Takumi doesn’t notice the weakness at all. With the GT-R’s front weight, it understeers quite easily. Even with a tuned pedal and driving technique, this basic fact doesn’t change. If you keep driving tough on the downhill, the front tires and brakes will wear out for sure. The best moment for the 86 to pass, with this in mind, would be around the end of the course. Whether or not the 86 can keep up with the R32 until then… that’s the key to this race.”

~0~

Bunta let out a quiet groan as the phone began to ring, prompting him to mute the television as he stood and made his way towards the infuriating device and removed it from the hook.

 _“Hello, Fujiwara Tofu Shop.”_ he spoke into the receiver.

_“Bunta!”_

_“Oh, it’s you, Yuichi.”_ he took a second to hunker down beside the hook. _“You sound like you’re in a crowd, are you on Akina right now? The weirdest thing happened, Takumi went up there of his own accord.”_

 _“Don’t pull that card on me, Bunta, you knew I was going to convince him to come up here.”_ Yuichi laughed quietly. _“He really is your kid, you know. It’s almost scary how much you two are alike.”_ Bunta let out an amused chuckle.

_“Yuichi, you’re rambling.”_

_“That’s your fault.”_ Yuichi responded immediately. _“But anyway, putting all of that aside, today his opponent is a GT-R. Honestly, does he have a chance? What kind of advice did you give him?”_

 _“Nothing much.”_ Bunta hummed, ignoring as Tama climbed up one of his limbs. _“But even the GT-R has its own weak point. With how front-heavy that kind of car is, it understeers a lot. Even with a tuned brake, by the time they come to the bottom of the pass, it’ll have trouble with the understeer going into the turn.”_ he paused for a moment to fidget with his cigarette pack as he pulled one out and moved to light it. _“If there’s any chance for him to win, Yuichi, it’s in the corners towards the end of the course.”_ he shuffled a little, hearing Tama click disapprovingly at the action. _“What I’m really concerned about right now is how he handles the 86’s foot settings… I changed them up a little bit before bringing it home.”_

 _“The foot settings?”_ Yuichi echoed quietly. _“What do you mean?”_

 _“Well,”_ he finally lit his cigarette and let out a quiet groan. _“I changed it so that it heavily understeers when you step on the gas pedal. For now, that’s where it’s at.”_

 _“YOU WHAT?!”_ Yuichi’s shout caused Bunta to jolt, holding the receiver away from his ear as Tama scuttled backwards a little on his abdomen. _“You set it to understeer by punching the accelerator?! Takumi’s driving uses drift, just what the hell were you thinking, Bunta? How can he race with that foot setting against the GT-R?!”_ Bunta sighed and placed the receiver back against his ear.

 _“You obviously don’t understand, Yuichi.”_ he huffed. _“If you are good enough, the understeer setting allows you to accelerate faster when it comes to driving an FR. For the purpose of carrying tofu, it’s usually set lower. With this setting, it’s possible to drive longer at full power. You understand what I’m saying?”_

_“I… yeah? But before, you were basically telling me that understeer is a weakness, therefore bad. Now, you’re telling me that heavy understeer during full throttle is the better setting if you have skills! If the maneuverability is suddenly different, wouldn’t Takumi panic when charging into corners? I dunno, Bunta, maybe you should have warned him…”_

_“Warning him wouldn’t have done any good.”_ Bunta said, sounding vaguely exasperated. _“You know he’s not exactly the type of driver who drives with his head.”_

 _“Then that would be all the more reason to tell him, you senile old spider!”_ Bunta scoffed, the exhale of breath sending smoke out through his mouth and nose.

 _“It’s all right, you shouldn’t worry so much, you’ll lessen your lifespan.”_ Yuichi let out a vague sound of offense at that. _“See, Takumi might not be too sharp upstairs, but he’s completely in tune with his body and senses. It’s too late to think first and react to the information you feel on your back through the seat. Your arms and legs have to move unconsciously to control drifting. That’s why you don't need to worry! My kid has a great sense of knowing when and how to accelerate while the car is drifting. So even if the suspension setting is a little different, it won’t matter to him in the least. He’ll make minor adjustments and just ride it out. I keep telling you this, Yuichi, but the 86 is a car that trains its driver.”_

~0~

Iketani jumped when he heard a nearby radio crackle to life, having been far more focused on the cars lining up for the start of the race instead of his surroundings.

 _“This is the finish line.”_ the one in charge of the final checkpoint spoke up through the line. _“The road is completely clear of regular traffic, so anytime you’re ready to begin, you may.”_

“Oi, Iketani!” Kenji’s voice called, prompting the wolf to look that way. His friend was waving the radio at him, while Itsuki was anxiously shifting his weight between his feet. “He said that we can start at any time!”

“All right.” he nodded, before turning towards the cars with a serious expression on his face. “I’m gonna start the countdown!” there was a collective exclamation as a few people scampered back towards the sidelines, everyone else muttering excitedly now that the race was finally going to start. “We start in ten seconds! Ten!”

“We’re counting on you, Takumi!”

Keisuke watched quietly as the countdown began, that loud Itsuki boy yelling and causing a scene once again. His stomach lurched a little, a small pit of emotions having gathered there once Takumi had arrived. He’d never admit it, but he found that he _really_ didn’t like Takumi glaring at him so angrily. It just didn’t look right on such an apathetic kid’s face.

“Keisuke…” Ryousuke’s voice from behind him made him jump slightly as he turned to peer at him. “We’re gonna have the best seats in the house for tonight’s battle!” the smug look on his brother’s face was slightly confusing as he opened the door to his FC. “Now, hop in! They’re about to start!”

“Huh?”

“Five!”

“Now, Keisuke!” 

“Four!”

“Okay?” without another word, he scampered towards the passenger seat of his brother’s car, both doors slamming shut.

“Three!” Itsuki let out an excited exclamation, latching onto Kenji, much to his dismay. “Two!”

 _“Let’s go, let’s go!”_ Nejibana exclaimed excitedly from the 86’s dash, obviously resisting the urge to bounce. Takumi smiled at her a little.

“One!”

“I hope you don’t plan on yelling the entire time.” he chuckled at her.

_“No promises!”_

“ _GO_!!” Takumi’s eyes immediately snapped to the road as he nearly slammed on the gas, both he and Takeshi taking off and flying past Iketani, nearly knocking him over in the process.

Itsuki watched nervously as the two raced off, Takumi’s opponent quickly gaining the lead as he began to pass.

“Oh, the R32 is ahead!” he exclaimed, sounding stressed, while Iketani hopped the rail and approached, his eyes still locked on the cars.

“Yeah, but Takumi’s not too far behind!” he responded excitedly.

“Here they come, aniki!” Keisuke announced, his body contorted to allow him to watch the cars draw closer through the FC’s rear window.

“Keisuke, get your seat belt on!” with a small jolt, Keisuke quickly buckled up in time for Ryousuke to step on the gas. The two cars raced by, and Ryousuke pulled out behind them, following close behind.

“Hey, that was the FC!”

“Ryousuke Takahashi just dashed out!”

“Is he trying to horn in on the race?!”

“What the hell is going on?! Is this turning into some kind of three-way super battle?!”

“This might have just turned into a race for the fastest in Gunma!”

The hooded figure’s eyes were a little wider than they’d been this entire time as they watched the three cars vanish. After a moment, they ducked into the woods and morphed, shrinking and sprouting more feathers as they took off, they had to report this to their companions, and they had to do it _now_.

~0~

_“Master…!”_ Nejibana sounded extremely worried from her perch on one of Takumi’s arms, which the Jorōgumo had balanced between the two seats to allow her to watch through the back window.

 _“I don’t know, Nejibana!”_ he exclaimed, his focus split between her and keeping on Takeshi’s tail. _“So long as that car doesn’t interfere, I don’t care if they’re there or not!”_ one of his many eyes twitched, not even the rhythmic pinging of the 86 bringing him into a calmer state. _“Why is he slowing down?”_ Nejibana turned on her perch, a small round of clicks coming from her as she hopped back onto the dash, allowing Takumi to put his arm down and root himself in place much more effectively. _“Is he waiting for me?!”_

Takeshi glanced at his rearview, this was a dangerous game he was playing, and he knew his opponent would know he was letting him catch up, and wouldn’t be happy.

“It’d be a waste to lose him on the straightaway.” he told himself quietly, turning back to the road. “I want to have a battle here! The _real_ starting line comes as soon as we hit the first corner!” a sharp grin crossed his face, reminiscent of his true form, and he could feel his companion agree with him. They wanted a battle, and they were going to get a battle.

Keisuke watched quietly, at first, as he eyed the two racers as they battled, taking in the slightly angry shift of Takumi’s style to the surprisingly slow lop of the R32.

“Hey, aniki, Nakazato seems to be easing up on the gas to allow the 86 to keep pace. The 86 doesn’t seem pleased about it, either.”

“Hope this show of overconfidence doesn’t end up costing him the last half of the race!” Ryousuke responded, sounding amused. “Though, it probably will.”

“Here they come!” Yuichi perked up at that and peered down the road, the one speaking holding a radio to his face. “This is the first corner, all three cars are coming fast, they’re taking it in a row!” Yuichi watched as the three cars entered the corner, the R32 gripping, while the 86 and the FC drifted after.

 _‘Wow…’_ Yuichi thought as he watched them go. Takumi’s driving didn’t look at all different. _“It’s just like Bunta said!”_

Takeshi scoffed, a grimace splitting his face as the red slit around his neck began to form, his eyes momentarily locked on the 86 behind him. The car was drifting the corner, just as he knew it would, but by the Outsiders it was _catching up_ instead of falling back!

“What the hell!” he exclaimed, his eyes turning back to the road as he grit his teeth. “I don’t think so, mister! Pulling stunts like that ain't gonna get you caught up to me!

Keisuke was enthralled by the sight the 86 was making, drifting through the next corner and sliding so close to the rail that he could have _sworn_ they were touching, but instead cleared through, only brushing past one another without any trouble.

“Getting to eyeball it from this close up…” Ryousuke began, sounding almost as enthralled as Keisuke felt. “That drift looks just like a work of art! A four-wheel drift in full throttle, and he’s _barely_ applying the countersteer! Keisuke, do you realize just how incredible that is?!” Keisuke looked at his brother with slightly wide eyes. “He’s pushing that 86 to its outer limits, and controlling it like it was his own hands and feet! I… even _I_ can’t control the FC like that!” Ryousuke’s expression shifted towards one that Keisuke remembered seeing when checking in on his brother during his late nights writing papers for his courses. “It’s exciting!”

“Yeah, maybe,” Keisuke began, turning his attention back towards the road as he grabbed hold of the panic bar above his head. “But little by little, Nakazato is gaining ground!” he frowned, the pit of emotion in his gut giving a harsh lurch. “Can… can that 86 really win this one?”

Takeshi was thriving, everything about this race was beginning to blend together, and his instincts were _singing_.

“This is it!” he crooned. “I can practically feel the blood rushing through my veins for the first time in a while! Oh, how I missed this feeling!” blood began sluggishly oozing from the slash around his throat. “This is the battle I’ve been waiting for! Are you ready, spider boy? I’m gonna really cut loose now! Let’s see just how far you can keep up with me!” as he entered the next corner he practically slammed on the gas, the sudden increase in acceleration accompanied by an almost otherworldly neigh, which was almost completely covered up by the roar of three exhausts.

Within the 86, Nejibana was awkwardly leaning around the dash, obviously disliking what she could feel from her position.

 _“Master!”_ she shouted. _“Something is very wrong here! The car doesn’t feel right! It’s making me nauseous!”_

 _“Stop being so dramatic!”_ Takumi sighed, plucking her from the dash with one of his limbs and holding her there until she regained her equilibrium. _“But I get what you mean, something’s different with the car! Even if I floor the gas, the car doesn’t lose control. What do you think this means?”_

 _“I dunno!”_ she chirped up at him. 

_“Maybe this means I can step on the gas sooner than before…”_ his eyes widened as the events of earlier in the day rushed back to him. Him being dropped off at work, his father eyeing Yuichi before driving off in the 86… _“When I was at work today, did dad fiddle with it?! Because this car sure as hell wasn’t like this when I made the deliveries this morning!”_

 _“That would explain why he was gone for so long!”_ Nejibana suddenly exclaimed. _“He was working on the car, trying to get it just right!”_

 _“And I have to admit, Bana, the car does feel a whole lot better to drive this way! Because it doesn’t slide too much… I can push it full throttle!”_ a large grin split his face, his pedipalps shifting excitedly at the prospect of going faster with these new settings. And if Takumi didn’t know any better, he’d say that the 86 itself was practically purring over what was to come as he once again stepped on the gas.

Keisuke was eyeing the 86 closely, something had suddenly… changed, with the vehicle. It’s movement didn’t look so angry anymore, in fact, it looked a little excited as it completely cleared a corner using drift.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen a guy drift all the way through that corner!” Ryousuke exclaimed from beside him, sounding awed.

“The guy is insane.” Keisuke responded. “He’d never be able to pull something like that off if he didn’t have total mastery over his speed!”

~0~

Iketani jerked as Kenji’s radio suddenly sputtered back to life, a small growl hearing from his throat as his eyes flashed amber for a moment. He quickly glanced around and, thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed his little slip up.

 _“The 86 is still on the R32’s tail!”_ the man at the other line crowed excitedly, prompting Kenji to grin widely at him and Itsuki.

“He’s actually doing it!” he said. “Takumi seems to be sticking behind that R32 like he’s been glued to him!

“That’s so cool!” Itsuki exclaimed. “I mean, Takeshi Nakazato’s an ace, someone lined up with Ryousuke Takahashi, who’s _another_ superstar, all of this together just makes this battle even more _mind blowing_ than it already is! And my best friend is right in the thick of it racing them both! It’s unbelievable, just so cool!” Itsuki curled in on himself, letting out his trademark squeal of excitement as it exploded from him once again.

“You’re right about all of that, for the most part, but…” Iketani tilted his head a little. “Ryousuke Takahashi and his FC aren’t part of the race, Itsuki.”

“Right!” Kenji agreed. “All of the corners have come to an agreement that he’s acting more like a third-person witness, rather than a competitor. Takumi’s facing Nakazato, and him alone.”

“His R32 has Takumi’s 86 at a bit of a disadvantage…” he righted his head, a smile crossing his features. “But with Takumi at the wheel, that 86’ll pull through for us in the end!”

“Definitely!” Kenji agreed excitedly. “Takumi will take it, for sure!”

“Right!” Itsuki crowed, and as the two humans began to babble about that, Iketani turned his attention back down the road. Takumi _had_ to win tonight.

~0~

“He just keeps creeping further and further away, aniki!” Keisuke exclaimed, glancing at Ryousuke as his stomach lurched again.

“Nakazato’s got a big mouth.” Ryousuke spoke up, sounding vaguely rueful. “But it looks like he’s got the skill to back it up! Just look at how he distributes the load, subduing his understeer while driving! He really knows how to draw out the GT-R’s power. It’s not pretty to look at… this is not the time to take it easy.”

“Aniki!” Keisuke suddenly exclaimed, sounding particularly upset now. “Just whose side are you on, anyway?! If Takumi loses this one, it’s all over!” Ryousuke suddenly glanced at him and rose a brow as he realized what he said and blushed a little.

“Takumi? Not Fujiwara?” Ryousuke hummed as Keisuke stuttered a little, but didn’t say another word about his little slip. “Don’t worry yourself, Keisuke. The real contest is only about to begin. The first half has comparatively more long straightaways. Lots of gentle slopes, too. This stretch reveals many disadvantages for the 86. But, the inclines are only going to start getting rougher right around where we are now. It’s the perfect setting for a downhill specialist to strut his stuff!”

“All right!” Takeshi exclaimed as he came out of a corner, the first hairpin of the final stretch of the course finally coming into sight. “This kind of low-gear hairpin curve is right up the R32’s alley! All I gotta do is cut my speed by slamming on the brakes…” he quickly does so, feeling the car lurch as he drags it under control. “Going downhill, like it or not, the front wheels still have to bear the load, so it’s weakest point, the pushing understeer, hardly occurs. Furthermore, accelerating from a low gear is what this car does better than any other! The fastest machine on the racing circuit is the toughest machine even on open roads!” he shifted gears, as the corner drew ever closer. “The R emblem on the rear is the legendary symbol for invincibility! Can you even get close enough to read it, spider boy?!”

~0~

“Hey… Iketani?” Kenji’s voice caused Iketani to look over at him, tilting his head as he took in his friend leaning against his 180. The radio sat in front of him, a silent object, even as the distant squealing tires grew more and more quiet.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking. ‘Till now, I thought Takumi was just a unique racer who’d only fast when racing on Akina. But, if he raced on a different mountain pass, how well do you think he’d drive? Do you ever wonder about that? What about you, Itsuki?”

“I mean,” Iketani began responding quickly. “Yeah. I’ve mulled it over. But right now, all I can think about is the battle at hand! It’s making me twitchy. Takumi has to win!”

“Yeah!” Itsuki exclaimed. “Go, Takumi!”

~0~

Keisuke widened his eyes as he heard that familiar, metallic thud and screech as the 86 dipped it’s tires into the drainage ditch, quickly accelerating ahead through the corner without a problem and leaving the FC behind a little.

 _‘Oh, man!’_ he thought to himself, his nerves coming out in his inner monologue. _“My eyes can’t keep up with him when he does that!’_ his eyes narrowed, the gnawing anxiety he’d been feeling earlier suddenly vanishing. _‘Looks like he’s finally kicking out the jams! I’m not surprised he’s begun using that little trick of his, using his tires to grip the rim of the road is apparently his go-to. So_ **_this_ ** _is the trick I lost to! I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to see it again.’_ he chanced a glance at his brother, taking in the tense and focused expression on his face as his jaw locked. He glanced at the steering wheel and raised his brows, his motions were slightly jerky.

He was taking it this seriously?

 _‘Aniki has stopped with the chatter… does that mean there isn’t any time for that now? I’ve ridden shotgun with him tons of times, but this is the first time I’ve seen him drive like this!’_ a bead of sweat rolled down his face and his grip on the panic bar tightened. _‘I’ve never seen him look so serious!’_

Takeshi felt his breath stop as a flash in his rear view caught his eye, the sight of the 86 flying around the corner and quickly gaining on him making it hard to breath for a moment. It’s aura flared for only a moment, that calm, deep blue startlingly marred as it flickered wildly in the car’s pursuit.

“He's… getting closer?! The 86 is catching up to me?! That’s impossible!” he fell silent, trying to shake his adversary using the next few corners, but to no avail. “It’s actually brilliant, that 86 catching up with me after all of that. All my prejudices about the 86 being a ten-year-old car have practically just been blown away! In Takumi’s hands, that thing is a first-rate fighting machine!” his expression grew serious as he focused back on the road, shifting gears and leaning into his racing. “Okay, the kid gloves are off! Man, this is the best rush I’ve had in ages! In fact, this has gotta be the hottest road race I’ve been in since I got this car!”

 _‘When it comes to hairpin turns,’_ Keisuke began puzzling together his observations in his head. _‘He can’t match the R32! No matter how close the 86 sticks to the R32, the distance between them always widens after a hairpin! Man, that Nakazato’s got guts too, attacking the road like that, downhill in a heavy-ass R32!’_ he continued to watch, expecting the 86 to continue to lose ground, but instead was blown away when the complete opposite happened. _‘How the hell did he close the gap at such a high-speed corner?! Going over one hundred kilometers an hour while doing a four-wheel drift while close enough to the guardrail, maybe?! There’s no way any of what’s happening has anything to do with the car’s capabilities! That guy… fuck, he’s got a screw loose! If he makes one slip-up, he’s_ **_roadkill_ ** _for sure!”_ a bead of sweat ran down his face.

This was almost too stressful.

 _‘But…’_ a small, almost satisfied smirk crossed his features. _‘Now, I think I understand his secret! With a lightweight like the 86, if he loses speed once, it takes forever to get it back up again. He never lets himself lose a fraction of speed more than he has to! Now I finally get why, when I raced against him, he could always catch up to me, no matter how many times I was sure I’d lost him!_

“I just can’t lose him!” Takeshi yelled, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he began to sweat, the blood that had been oozing from his throat suddenly running faster and causing him to wince. “Just the opposite, in fact! He’s hanging on to me for longer and longer periods! I knew the damn arachnid was a tough one, having beaten Keisuke Takahashi, but this?!”

 _‘Nakazato’s clearing the guardrail by a good twenty to thirty centimeters, give or take.’_ Keisuke mused. _‘No matter how fast you are, that’s about right for your distance. Yet, the 86’s front bumper is almost close enough to the rail to make sparks fly! Damn, this guy’s in a league of his own! Just how the hell can he control a drift with that kind of precision?!’_

Takeshi grit his teeth as he felt the front tires begin to slide away from the inside, forcing him to drag the car back into line once more as he swore.

“Since I’ve been steering hard and using the ABS, the load on the front tires has been a lot heavier than I thought! This race is suddenly getting much more challenging!”

“The five hairpins are coming up…” Ryousuke suddenly spoke up, causing Keisuke to jolt.

“Huh?”

“Remember, Keisuke. That’s where he left you in the dust. There’s not a doubt in my mind, that specific section is going to be a key point in this race as well.” Keisuke’s mood dropped slightly at the reminder of his defeat, his eyes immediately turning back to the road as he huffed. The interior of the FC fell quiet once more.

 _‘An R32 versus an 86…’_ Keisuke thought idly. _‘Who would’ve thought the battle between them would be this fierce? Both of those cars are being taken to their limits. But just which of them is gonna take the prize?!’_

Takeshi growled at the first of the five consecutive hairpins came into sight.

“I watched Keisuke Takahashi lose the race on these five hairpin turns.” he grit out. “That 86 turns corners using the gutters. I have to make sure he never gets the chance to use them!”

“Nakazato is really guarding the inside position!” Keisuke exclaimed, prompting Ryousuke to chuckle.

“Well, that would be Nakazato for you.” he responded, amused. “What are you going to do now, 86?” Ryousuke suddenly fell silent when the 86’s aura shot to life, suddenly flickering a brighter blue for a moment as it swung to the side and immediately began trying to pass using the road available to it.

“What?!” Takeshi yelled, an arm flying up to keep his head from falling off from the shock. “From the outside?! Don’t insult me, you cheeky brat! Not from the outside!” he accelerated and swerved into the 86’s path, cutting it off and pushing it back behind.

“The R32’s acceleration is amazing!” Ryousuke sounded awed, and Keisuke didn’t blame him, not after seeing that spectacle.

“What about the 86?” he asked, receiving a small hum. “He slid through that narrow turn like it was nothing!”

“Three more turns…” Ryousuke responded, causing Keisuke to look at him, confused. “Three more turns, and this race is over…” they approached the next hairpin, the 86 swerving to the outside, just like before.

“He’s seriously going for the outside again!”

Takeshi roared wordlessly within the R32, his form warping to it’s true state in his anger and making his head wobble precariously.

“You’re irritating me!” he yelled. “Stop messing with me from the outside!”

“The R32’s movements are becoming unsteady.” Ryousuke commented, his gaze never leaving its targets. “Nakazato must be losing his patience rapidly.”

“Oh?”

“Just you watch, Keisuke. The 86 will make a move.” Keisuke eyed his brother, completely lost, before turning back towards the road.

_‘Make a move? When there’s no room on the inside… how the hell can he pass?’_

Takeshi was livid, forced to turn some of his focus to keeping himself intact as he worked to win the race, but finding it harder and harder to do so the more the 86 pushed at his buttons.

“This is _humiliating_. He just keeps pushing at me from the outside in front of all these people! I can’t attack the corner because I’m staying inside too damn much. One car width should be enough to keep him away from the inside. That way, I can go into this final hairpin with more speed!” as he stepped on the brakes and prepared for entry, he watched the 86 make for the outside again and smirked a little. “Good, he’s going for the outside again!” and with a small turn of the wheel, opened up space on the inside.

It was a grievous mistake.

The world around him suddenly turned silent as he suddenly realized that, the 86 wasn’t where he’d expected it.

“What…? The 86 is gone!” a chill ran down his spine as his focus on his form dropped, he turned his eyes to the left and choked when he realized the 86 was half off the course, using the inside and more to gain the advantage and force his way past him. His vision suddenly began pitching to the right, and one of his arms flew up to balance his head, the car refusing to act the way he wanted with his remaining hand, instead shaking and sliding. “Damn it! The understeer is acting up! Oh, that crafty bastard! He faked going to the outside and clawed his way in while braking! The 86 can perform tricks like that?! Well, this race isn’t over yet! I can still pull ahead in second gear at full blast! I’ll show you just what my R32 is capable of!” recklessly, he’d later describe his actions in the moment, he floored it and suddenly forced the back tires to lose traction, the rear end of the car bouncing off of the guardrail inside a corner and into a spin, forcing him to slam on the brakes as the FC swerved around him flawlessly and vanished after the 86.

Everything was dull, and quiet for a moment as he came to a stop.

“... I lost.” Takeshi finally released his grip on the wheel, positioning his arms to catch his head as he gave up trying to hold his less gruesome form. “My R32 and I lost the race… no, I can’t blame the car. _I_ lost the race. It wasn’t my R32 that lost to that 86.” he sat there quietly for a moment, calming himself down as he lifted his head and peered at himself, wincing at the sight he and his shirt made. “Absolutely soaked. I’m lucky I have a spare shirt in the passenger floorboards.” with a sigh, he took a moment to clean himself up, change his shirt, and set his head back where it belonged before he repressed his creature form and emerged from his car, slowly, almost shakily walking towards the back and taking in the damage with a sigh.

Damn.

“I never thought that racers like this existed.” he said to himself quietly, pulling out a cigarette and fumbling for his lighter. “Losing was a bit of a shock…” finally pulling the damned thing out, he flicked it open, sparking a flame to life as he lit his cigarette and closed it, taking a deep drag. “But for some reason, I feel satisfied… possibly because I gave it my absolute best.” he crouched down beside his car and let out a groan as he set his hand on the damage. “Damn… it’ll be another seventy thousand yen to fix this.” there was a warbly huff beside him, he glanced up with a gentle smile as he reached a hand up and rested it upon the nose of an almost transparent black horse. “I guess I’ll just have to train harder and try again another day, huh girl?”

~0~

“Takumi won!” Itsuki cried excitedly, practically bouncing off of everything his feet touched as he yelled about Takumi’s victory. Iketani and Kenji were merely silent in the face of this, identical expressions of numb shock rooting them in place as everyone at the top of the pass began speaking at once in an uproar of sound. Itsuki paused in front of his friends, smiling and beginning to laugh, and the other two were drawn in, practically in hysterics as they hugged one another.

Further down the pass, Yuichi stood leaned against his car, listening to everyone chatter on about the results of the race with a blank expression.

_‘I guess you were right, Bunta. I almost can’t believe you called it, you sly old arachnid.’_

And down near the bottom, watching the 86 arrive back to where the R32 had stopped, three figures watched quietly, merely observing.

 **“... Tonight was a learning experience.”** the one with the round glasses said quietly, pushing them back up their nose. **“I, for one, have chosen. That Takeshi Nakazato seems to be very interesting.”**

 **“I have chosen as well.”** the hooded one replied, their eyes locked on the Jorōgumo down the road. **“I feel it necessary to stick around the spider. Something tells me that he, or his nest, will need my aid in the near future.”**

 **“I am still undecided.”** the third’s words made the other two look at them. **“Something is telling me that choosing now is not the right time. I need to wait.”**

 **“It could be one of the highers guiding you.”** the hooded one offered. **“They are known to interfere with the business of us lower.”**

 **“Maybe.”** they conceded. **“But for now, I remain unbound. But, I feel that it will not last for much longer.”**

~0~

“Well,” Ryousuke said, leaning against his FC in a parking lot by the finish line. “Wasn’t that fun and educational, Keisuke?”

“Yeah.” Keisuke crossed his arms. “That move the 86 used was amazing.” a playback of it flashed in his mind. “He faked going outside, and snuck his way inside while braking fully… he must have great ABS.” Ryousuke suddenly began laughing at that statement.

“Goodness, Keisuke, you don’t get it, do you?” Keisuke’s expression turned vaguely offended. “The 86 doesn’t come with ABS!”

“Huh?!” Keisuke blinked owlishly. “But-”

“That 86 has human ABS. Street racers who only drive cars with ABS can’t learn the strict pedal control required to stop just before the brakes lock. After all, ABS can’t outperform the right foot of a highly experienced driver like Fujiwara. It’s been a while since I got _that_ into a race, you know. Now I’m certain, that 86 is definitely a worthy target for us.” a wide smile split Ryousuke's face. “It seems our time here on Akina has yet to end.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up until 5 am writing this, because I couldn't sleep unless I got it done hahaha (Kiyana)


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a certain human gets a new car, and the spider shows off an oddly overprotective side to his personality

“What?!” Iketani and Kenji exclaimed in unison, causing Takumi to chuckle and smile a little as they all stared at the same thing. A particularly smug expression was settled into Itsuki’s features as he leaned against the opposing object, seemingly thriving in their stupor. “How?!”

Itsuki laughed as he tugged at his hat. “I told you I was gonna do it!” he crowed. “I bought myself an 86! I kept it a secret, of course, but it came in today!” Takumi heard Nejibana click a little in excitement from one of his shirt pockets and glanced down to see two of her legs sticking out from where she’d settled herself as she peered out at the car Itsuki was excitedly leaning against.

“It looks so new!” Iketani said excitedly.

“I guess this means you finally convinced your dad to co-sign for you.” Kenji stated, causing Itsuki to cough a little to clear his throat.

“W-Well,” Itsuki sounded slightly nervous at first. “The guys at the shop were friendly, and I think I got a great deal! Yes sir!”

“Well, it’s in really good shape.” Iketani said as he continued to observe the car. “Gods, you’re so lucky.”

“I still can’t believe you  _ actually _ bought it, Itsuki.” Takumi voiced his thoughts, causing everyone to look at him. “You’d been saying for years that you’d buy this thing or that thing, but you never actually acted on your words, I’d grown to expect that. I hadn’t realized you’d been completely serious this time.”

“Ooh, but I had to be, Takumi.” Itsuki cooed imperiously, missing as Takumi’s eye twitched at his tone. He hated it when Itsuki sounded like that. “How else would I catch up to you if I wasn’t? I’ll train my hardest to be your ‘Downhill 86’ partner.”

“I see your mouth hasn’t gotten any smaller, Itsuki.” Iketani exclaimed, sounding amused. “In fact, it seems to have gotten  _ bigger _ instead!” Itsuki laughed as a sheepish look came over him.

“Well, I couldn’t sleep a wink last night, I was just so excited!” Iketani nodded sagely at those words.

“I understand that completely.” he sighed. “I couldn’t sleep the night before I got my lovely S13.”

“I just couldn’t help it.” Itsuki cooed. “‘Cause it’s my own car.” he let out a sound that almost sounded like a sob as he leaned his upper body against his car and gently ran his hands over the roof. “My own car… I feel like I’m dreaming…” Takumi smiled softly at how his friend was acting.

“I’m happy for you, Itsuki.” he said honestly.

“Ohh! Look at this!” Kenji exclaimed, catching their attention. “‘70s tires with original hubcaps… that’s so cool!” Kenji looked up from where he was examining the tires. “Oi, Itsuki, why don’t you start it up?” Itsuki brightened considerably at that.

“Sure thing, Kenji!” he exclaimed, quickly hurrying towards the driver side door and pulling it open. After a few moments, the car came to life, causing Takumi to frown as he listened to Itsuki rev it.

_ “It doesn’t sound right, master.” _ Nejibana said quietly, causing Takumi to hum in agreement. A glance at Yuichi told him the grim was feeling the same way.

“It doesn’t sound too sharp.” Iketani commented.

“It might be because of the original muffler.” Kenji responded.

“I’ll be replacing parts here and there, so don’t you worry!” Itsuki said cheerfully. “Oooooh! I want it to sound just as cool as Takumi’s Trueno!” 

“It’s not really mine, you know.” Takumi commented, only to be ignored. Yuichi let out an odd sound as he took a few steps forward, causing Takumi to feel very curious as he watched him go.

“Itsuki, I have a bad feeling about this whole thing.” he stated, crossing his arms. “Pop the hood.”

“Huh?” Itsuki tilted his head, watching as Yuichi made his way to the front of the car and, after he turned it off, followed through with the order. The grim grabbed the hood and lifted it, going still as he peered in at the engine. After a few moments he let out a sigh and closed it. “I knew it…”

“Boss?”

“You seem to have made a very big error, Itsuki.” Yuichi stated calmly.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“From what dad told me,” Takumi interjected, catching their attention. “An 86 sounds different than that, even when coming completely stock.”

“Right!” Yuichi regained everyone’s attention. “Itsuki, this vehicle isn’t an 86.”

“What?” Itsuki exclaimed as Kenji and Iketani both stared wide eyed. “But, the guys at the shop said-”

“They probably believed it was an 86 too, but this isn’t an 86.” Yuichi repeated firmly. “It’s an 85.”

“An 85?” Iketani blinked. “As in, AE-85?” Yuichi nodded, silence ruling the area, before Iketani and Kenji both snorted and broke into uproarious laughter.

“Oh, gods!” Kenji clutched at his stomach as he laughed.

“An 86 and an 86 have the same body,” Iketani howled. “But their abilities are as far apart as chalk is from cheese!” Takumi chanced a glance at Yuichi, catching sight of the startled but vaguely amused expression on his face, before the amusement quickly bled away into something more serious as his gaze locked on Itsuki. “I mean, even their engines are completely different! An 86 has a DOHC engine, while an 85 has an SOHC!”

“You  _ do _ know those are two completely different engines, right?” Kenji crowed, taking over for Iketani as the wolf doubled over. Takumi looked at Itsuki and felt all of his thoughts grind to a halt. He was shaking a little, his face scrunching a little with hurt as his eyes glossed over with tears. “Didn’t you check the engine before you bought the damn thing?” they both devolved to just laughter at that, practically clinging to each other to keep standing. Takumi heard Itsuki let out a quiet, choked sort of sob, prompting Takumi to take a step towards him.

“Itsuki…?” Takumi asked quietly, concern coating his tone like thick molasses.

“I’m sorry, Itsuki,” Iketani exclaimed, wiping tears from his eyes. “But this is so funny…”

“My stomach hurts!” Kenji howled hysterically, and Takumi felt his stomach lurch as those previously unshed tears began running down Itsuki’s face, a genuine howl of pain leaving his mouth as he ran away, his hat falling to the ground as he fled.

“Itsuki!” Takumi yelled, keenly aware of how quiet it suddenly was. “Wait! Come back!” he clenched his fists, turning to give Iketani and Kenji the same glare he’d been giving Keisuke on Saturday, though this time laced with disappointment. “You’re both terrible.” he said, causing Iketani to flinch, before he turned and quickly hurried after his friend, snatching up his hat as he went. “Itsuki! Wait up!!” after a minute, Itsuki finally came to a stop, allowing the spider to catch up to him.

“Just leave me alone, Takumi.” Itsuki sniffled, causing Takumi to frown further.

“I can’t do that.” Takumi took a few steps closer to Itsuki, watching as he wiped at his eyes and inhaled hard through his nose.

“... Takumi? Is this what you feel like?”

“Huh?” Takumi blinked, confused.

“When we laugh at you for something you do or say. Is this how it feels? Painful?” Takumi didn’t respond for a moment.

“Sometimes, yes.” he finally answered, not looking at Itsuki at all. “But I’m used to it, so it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not!” Itsuki’s tone caught Takumi off guard. “This feels horrible, how can you be okay with it happening to you?!”

“I’m okay with it because I can take it.” Takumi responded. “I’d rather it happen to me instead of you, do you understand me?” he pulled Itsuki into a one armed hug and quickly let him go. “I try to make sure you never get laughed at like that, though I guess I couldn’t have expected such a thing happening today.” they were silent for a moment.

“I just wanted to surprise you guys.” Itsuki said quietly. “But I guess I was just an idiot for buying a car by myself. I knew it was too cheap for an 86, I’m so embarrassed for acting like such an idiot in front of you guys. I bet you’re laughing at me too, internally.”

“You’re completely wrong about that, Itsuki.” Takumi said gently, setting a hand on his shoulder. “As a matter of fact, I envy you.”

“... You envy me?” Itsuki asked quietly, turning to look at him. “Don’t lie to me like that, Takumi.”

“I’m not lying.” Takumi responded firmly. “You’re still in high school, and you already have your own car.”

“My own car…?”

“Yeah!” Takumi brightened now that he had Itsuki’s full attention. “So what if it’s an 85? It has an engine and four tires.” Itsuki gave him a bland look. “Don’t look at me like that. It may not have power, but it’ll go fast downhill. You can practice and hone your skills with it.” he gave Itsuki a soft smile as he handed his hat back to him. “You understand what I’m trying to say?” Itsuki took the hat back without a word, prompting Takumi to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze before letting it go. “You know, cars are fun…”

“You know, Takumi, you’ve changed…” Itsuki said, wiping at his eyes for a final time.

“Have I?”

“Yeah, you weren’t into cars at all before, and now you think they’re fun.” a small smile came over his face. “You know, with you you said, Takumi, I feel like I can be proud of my 85. I don’t think I deserve an 86 yet.”

“You’re probably right.” Takumi agreed, almost laughing when Itsuki let out an offended sound.

“You don’t have to agree with me!” he whined, before giving Takumi a happy smile. “I may go for a spin at Mount Akina tonight, you wanna come along?”

“Sure!” he chirped. “In  _ your _ 85.”

“... Takumi…” Itsuki teared up again and latched onto him with an excited shout, much to Takumi’s alarm. “You’re the best! I’ll come get you around ten tonight!”

“That sounds good!”

“And don’t fall asleep on me!”

“I won’t, I promise!” Takumi laughed, listening to Nejibana grumble. “Come on, Itsuki, let’s get back to the gas station before Yuichi reports us as missing. I’m gonna sock Iketani and Kenji in the nose and I don’t think you want to miss that!”

~0~

“I didn’t see the famous 86.” a bushy grey tail twitched behind the one speaking as he peered down the road, able to hear the distant screech of tires.

“I wanna take a look at it.” his friend whined from his spot on the ground, his round ears twitching as he listened to the noise around him.

“It’s hard to imagine an R32 losing to an 86.” his third friend stated, his own, much smaller but equally bushy tail hanging motionless behind him. “I-” the sound of a revving engine cut him off and they all turned down the road in time to see a car pull up and move towards the side of the road, cutting behind the rail and parking.

“Hey, that’s an 86.” the one on the ground stated.

“Could it be that racer?” the third asked, just as the doors opened and two people got out.

“Ohhh! That was so fun!” the driver exclaimed excitedly. “Akina pass is the best!”

Takumi smiled at the sight his friend made as he bounced around his 85, looking much happier than he had hours prior.

“That was a little fun.” he agreed, causing Itsuki to practically explode in his excitement.

“I mean, she’s slow going straight, but to me it corners just like the real thing! What do you think, Takumi?”

“Yeah, in her own way.” Takumi agreed readily, prompting Itsuki to coo as he began bobbing around his car once more. “What are you doing? You look silly.”

“You know, Takumi, if you look at my Levin from a distance, it really does look quite handsome!” he quickly jolted up. “Ah! It’s so cool! I’m glad I bought my Levin!” Takumi chuckled at his friend.

“And I’m happy that you’re happy, Itsuki!” as he said this, the sound of three sets of footsteps reached his ears and he looked over, catching sight of three men, adults, making their way towards them. The smell of rodents, strong and almost overpowering, reached him and it took some of his willpower to not scrunch his nose in response.

“It’s just a bunch of kids.” one of them said, sounding incredibly disappointed.

“It  _ can’t _ be them.” the one in front added. Takumi registered him as the leader of their little group, he took a protective step towards Itsuki and latched onto the arm of his shirt. 

“I highly doubt the guy who defeated the R32 could be either one of these little kids!” the third exclaimed.

“There’s no way.” the first agreed.

“How old are you kids anyway?” the leader asked, his eyes lighting up momentarily in something Takumi couldn’t describe. “I hope you have a license. Otherwise, I’ll have to report you to the authorities.”

“Y-Yeah, we have our licences!” Itsuki stuttered, a little unnerved by the men in front of them, Takumi merely narrowed his eyes, allowing them to flash red with displeasure, though none of the men confronting them noticed. “I may look small and cute, but I’m eighteen!”

“Stop harassing those kids!” the first exclaimed, looking vaguely nervous. “We could be the ones getting reported if you keep it up.”

“I don’t like this!” the leader snapped back, looking cross. “A kid like either of them, driving an 86 and acting like a street racer.” the first lightly smacked the leader in the arm.

“Shut up.” he hissed, before looking back at Itsuki. “Do either of you live around here? If you do, you wouldn’t happen to know the famous 86 of Mount Akina, would you?” Itsuki widened his eyes, looking at Takumi questioningly, while Takumi merely remained silent, gripping Itsuki’s sleeve harder than before.

“Are you playing dumb or something?” the third growled, looking displeased. “If you live in the area, there’s no way you  _ don’t _ know him!” Itsuki gulped.

“I, uh, I’ve heard of him…” he finally answered, taking a step closer towards Takumi, feeling intimidated. “B-But I highly doubt he’ll be here tonight!”

“Damn.” the first scoffed, looking upset. “We came all this way tonight for nothing.”

“Let’s just leave.” the third groaned, and both turned to leave.

“Wait one second.” the leader spoke up, taking a step towards Itsuki, though pausing when he noticed Takumi’s posture changing. “I tell you what, kid. If you wanna act like a racer, then at least try to look like one. I mean, shit,” he walked past Itsuki and towards the 85, Takumi’s eyes never leaving him as he went. “Look at this 86 with its ugly wheels! It’s  _ embarrassing _ !” with a small kick to Itsuki’s tire, Takumi felt something in him snap as his instincts suddenly began to whisper to him. How dare this prey, this  _ insect _ insult his nest like that? Just who did this guy think he was?

He was lucky Itsuki was human, otherwise he wouldn’t be so passive about this.

“Pitiful!” he scoffed, making his way back towards his friends. Takumi’s gaze was still locked on him, much angrier than before, and the spider heard one of the rodents stop breathing. “And make sure you change that muffler, it sounds like shit. Don’t you know anything at all about an 86, kid?”

“That’s the thing…” Itsuki chuckled nervously, eyeing Takumi as he responded. He knew how Takumi could get sometimes, and from the way his eyes were gleaming, he was very angry. “You were so pushy with your speech that I wasn’t able to interject. I only bought this car recently, it came in earlier today, in fact, and the guys at the shop  _ said  _ it was an 86, but it really isn’t. It’s an 85. So… a new muffler won’t really make any difference. Though, I’m thinking of replacing parts as I get the money for it, so I guess it’s on the list…?” 

“An 85…?” the three rodents all blinked at one another incredulously, before breaking out into heavy laughter. Takumi heard Itsuki’s breath hitch and began clicking quietly, his rage simmering as his instincts grew louder. “No one carries new mufflers for an 85 anymore, kid. Literally nobody!”

“I’m actually crying!” the third wheezed. “Swindled into buying an 85! I never thought anyone would  _ proudly _ drive one of those in this day and age!”

“But I guess that suits you well, kid!” the leader crowed. Takumi’s gaze locked on the first, who felt his gaze and suddenly stopped laughing.

“Let’s just go.” he said, his voice shuddering a little, obviously set aback by what he saw, especially when Takumi’s eyes flashed red.

“Yeah.” the leader sighed.

“Thanks for the laugh, kid!” the third exclaimed as they all turned and walked back towards their cars.

“Insects.” Takumi grumbled, watching as they got in the cars and started driving off.

“Don’t let any scooters tailgate you!” one yelled as they drove by, and Takumi growled, flashing his teeth as they vanished.

“That’s it.” Takumi said, his instincts howling. “They’re gonna pay! Itsuki, do you mind if I drive your car?!”

“Huh?!” Itsuki jerked as Takumi let him go and ran past him, opening the driver side door. “Takumi?!”

“Hop in, quickly!”

“You’re not even giving me an option!” Itsuki yelled as the spider got in, and with a choke he quickly ran to the passenger side and hopped in. “Just what the hell are you going to do?! This is just a stock 85! It’s got loose suspension and ‘70s tires!”

“That doesn’t matter! Buckle!”

“I’m just saying that we don’t have to do this!” Itsuki exclaimed, quickly buckling despite his words. “This car doesn’t have LSD, either!”

“Itsuki, just shut up!” Takumi leveled him with a firm, no nonsense look, and Itsuki’s jaw snapped shut. “Any car is good if you know how to handle it, and I don’t think this one is  _ that _ different from the 86 when it comes to maneuverability!” Takumi’s expression softened a little. “It may get rough, Itsuki, but you have to trust me, okay? I promise you, I won’t damage your precious car in any way. Can you trust me? Will you let me do this?” Itsuki was stunned silent, merely nodding with wide eyes, prompting Takumi to smile sharply before turning back towards the road, shifting gears and sending the 85 into motion. “Then here we go! You’re about to experience what made Iketani pass out!” he forced the car to turn around with a jerk of the wheel, the sudden movement tearing a short cry of terror from Itsuki’s throat.

“Takumi! Slow down, slow down!” he exclaimed, gripping the panic bar above his head like his life depended on it. “Oh gods! Please be careful with my poor 85! Had I known you were going to floor it I would have said no! This isn’t worth it!” Takumi didn’t respond, his jaw instead locking as he continued to glare through the windshield. Itsuki’s shouts died in his throat at his friend’s appearance; never in his life has he seen him look so angry before. The ping of his tachometer pulled his attention back to the road, and before he could say a word, Takumi forced the 85 into a drift around the first corner, tearing another scream from his throat.

Further down the pass, the first from the group only wanted to get away, the glare of that other kid had been so predatory in nature that there’s no way he  _ wasn’t _ a creature. He had to be one alright, one that would make quick work of a dormouse like him.

In the other car, the third of the group was peering through the back window of the leader’s car, a shiver running down his spine as he took notice of a set of headlights quickly gaining on them.

“W-What the hell…?” he muttered, looking into the closest side mirror. He wasn't hallucinating, that car was very much so getting closer, and fast. “Hey, that car is right on our tail!”

“It must just be some Akina punk.” his friend scoffed pridefully. “Well, they sure picked the wrong cars to tailgate!” he honked his horn, catching the attention of the first, who merely mentally prepared himself, having a bad feeling about all of this.

Takumi’s expression changed from enraged to slightly exasperated as he picked up on all of the nuances of the 85 as Itsuki cried about stopping, finding a few things he genuinely disliked about his friend’s car as he stayed on the rodents’ tail. Itsuki let out a quiet, drained whine.

“Is this really my 85?” he muttered, sounding dazed.

The third rodent let out a vaguely awed sound, even as his friend began to grind his teeth in anger.

“He’s not bad at all… wait… no way! It’s that 85 from the top of the pass!”

“There’s no way in hell some damn stock 85 could keep up with us!” as they entered the next corner, the leader chanced a glance towards the pursuing car and flinched at the gaze he suddenly felt on his head, quickly turning back to the road in a panic. “NEVER MIND! You’re right, it’s definitely the 85 from before!”

“Those damn punks  _ lied _ to us!” the third snarled. “That car has to be-” he cut himself off momentarily as the car smacked into a rail and swerved. “It has to be an 86!”

Takumi let out a vaguely upset groan, catching Itsuki’s attention, even as he was practically on the verge of passing out in the passenger seat.

“This car won’t accelerate down the hill at all…” Takumi muttered, sounding grumpy. “And the wheels won’t grip the road at all…” he pushed into another corner, Itsuki just barely managing to keep from screaming as Takumi’s expression became even more exasperated. “Ugh, this is so slow. I wonder if dad dealt with anything like this while modifying the 86…” Itsuki pulled himself together a little as he took note of Takumi’s observations. If he said something felt wrong to him, then he’d strive to make it feel right. “At any rate, I have no choice now… I guess it’s time for that move.”

_ ‘... That move?’ _ Itsuki questioned himself, but before he could ask, there was a jerk as he felt the tires dip into the ditch, the 85 leaving the first car in front in the dust.

The first rodent gulped as he caught sight of the driver in his rear view, instead of it being the smaller boy, it was the other one, his eyes gleaming a satisfied red, still angry but calmer than he assumed it had once been. 

“I-I can’t let that 85 pass me!” he exclaimed, but could only watch helplessly as the 85 began to pass anyway. Time suddenly slowed for him as the driver and passenger came into sight, the smaller of the two startled, but unknowing of the sudden shift his friend’s face had undertaken. Eight eyes and a set of pedipalps, a set of sharp fangs gleaming at him, a warning, a threat.  _ “Never do that again. Never let him do anything like that again.” _ his expression seemed to say, and as quickly as it came, it was gone, his form melting back into a human facade as time returned to normal and the 85 vanished down the pass. He came to a stop, practically shaking as he got out and faced his confused friends.

“Hey, are you alright?” the third asked, concerned, and the first gulped.

“T-That 85 was being driven by a Jorōgumo…” he said, causing the other two to pale. “I saw his fangs…” they were all silent, but after a few moments, wordlessly, the three rodents began to scream.

“You want a coffee?” Takumi asked, smiling as the sound of screaming reached his ears.

“Yeah.” Itsuki responded horsley, prompting Takumi to purchase two and hand one to his friend. “Thanks…” Takumi cracked his open and downed half of it with a sigh of relief. “You know, Takumi… Iketani told me that your downhill skills were abnormal.”

“Abnormal…?” Takumi asked, tilting his head a little. “I don’t think they’re abnormal in the slightest.”

“That’s because you’re not able to look at it like a stranger to it can. You can’t see how crazy it is yourself.” Itsuki laughed. “I never imagined that a car could run like that.” Takumi let out a questioning sound that reminded Itsuki of Bunta. “You’ve really changed my perception, it was that shocking.” Takumi let out a vaguely alarmed sound at that, contrasting the one prior.

“I’m sorry it was so scary for you.” he said genuinely, and Itsuki waved off his concern.

“Don’t be! There’s no need to apologize, you know! I’ve honestly never been this happy before!”

“Huh?”

“I realized tonight that it isn’t all about the car’s capabilities. If you have skills, you can even maneuver an 85 like you did minutes ago.” he looked up at Takumi and smiled. “I fell in love with my car because of what you did tonight. I’m gonna take good care of it! Starting tomorrow, I’m going to train my hardest. I don’t care if people laugh at me about it. My 85 is the best!” Takumi grinned back at him, offering his friend a hand up.

“Well said!” he grinned, and Itsuki looped an arm around his shoulder.

“How about we take some girls out with us for a drive next time!”

“Oh, u-uh, sure?” Takumi questioned, startled by the sudden conversational turn.

“You better not blow me off this time, okay? I mean it, Takumi!”

“I promise, I promise!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having a lot of fun writing this, love filler chapters between introducing characters uwu (Kiyana)


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new and much more hostile adversary enters the game

“Alright!” Iketani crowed victoriously, causing Itsuki to jump slightly from where he was washing his Levin. Yuichi watched, amused, as Iketani began tearing up. “My S13! She came back to me, and as handsome as ever! Oh, I’m going to cry…” Yuichi felt motion to the side, his hackles rising beneath his human facade as he jerked and hopped away from where he’d been standing, Itsuki’s Levin pulling past where he’d been standing with the squeal of tires.

“Itsuki!” he snapped as the human stepped from his car, forcing down his smoking fur to the best of his ability. “Are you trying to run me over?!”

“Sorry, sir!” Yuichi huffed, crossing his arms as he watched Itsuki pull something from one of his pockets and begin messing with it, before turning his gaze back towards Iketani, who was now crouched in front of his S13 and running a hand over the tire.

“We’ll start training today!” he said to it gently. “We’ll practice drifting with lower-grade tires.”

“Count me in, too!” Itsuki exclaimed jovially, causing Yuichi to turn and nearly burst out laughing. “Check out my cool new sticker!”

_ ‘It’s put on so poorly…’ _ Yuichi thought, scratching at his left right temple as he quietly calmed himself down.  _ ‘Sorry pup.’ _

“You’ve got to be kidding.” he heard Iketani mutter, sounding incredibly put out.

“Well, it’s all right, isn’t it?” Itsuki asked, sounding like he’d respond explosively if he got an answer he didn’t like.

“A-Ah, yeah, sure, not bad…” Iketani responded awkwardly, letting out a nervous chuckle as Itsuki curled up and let out his usual, excited exclamation.

“Perfect!” he cheered. “Now I’m officially a member of Team SpeedStars!” Itsuki began rambling on to himself as Yuichi and Iketani took the opportunity to look at the sticker.

“It’s so crooked.” Yuichi huffed, running a finger over the bubbles beneath the vinyl.

“Help me take it off!” Iketani hissed, lightly clawing at the corners of the sticker with sharpened nails.

“I have to practice tonight!” Itsuki’s voice cut through their own chatter. “Before I forget Takumi’s downhill techniques from last night!” Iketani froze beside Yuichi, before both turned to look at Itsuki, eyes wide as they processed what he said.

“What?!” Iketani grabbed Itsuki’s arm. “He let you in his 86?”

“Well, in a way…” Itsuki cooed coyly, causing the wolf's left eye to twitch.

“Just what’s  _ that _ supposed to mean?” Yuichi asked, exasperated.

“Stop beating around the bush, Itsuki!”

“I dunno… should I even tell you?”

“I’ll shove one of those gas pump nozzles down your throat if you don’t talk!” Itsuki took multiple steps away from Iketani at this, his eyes wide.

“Alright, alright, jeez! I’ll tell you!” he exclaimed, sounding vaguely frightened. “He drove my 85 on Akina’s downhill last night!” a faraway look came into his eyes. “It was absolutely beyond my imagination. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life!” Iketani’s posture changed, suddenly paying closer attention to Itsuki’s words. “Even way before a corner, we were drifting sideways. All I could see was the blur of scenery in the windshield. It was miraculous!”

“He  _ drifted _ with your 85?” Yuichi asked, sounding amazed. “It doesn’t even have LSD!”

“That’s what I told him, but he didn’t care in the slightest! And it was so quick, too. We passed two jerks back to back at the downhill hairpin turns. Oh, I’ve never seen him look so  _ angry _ before. But despite that, I’ve never felt so alive!”

“All of that is really hard to believe, Itsuki.” Iketani said hesitantly. “I mean, I know Takumi is good, but with an 85?” the wolf turned to look at Yuichi. “What do you think, boss?”

“Well, it’s hard to believe that any driver could do that in an 85.” he responded.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” Itsuki said quietly, sounding put out at their disbelief as he ran a finger across the ground, having crouched down when they began speaking to one another in disbelief. “But I saw what I saw.”

“Well, Itsuki, if you’re telling the truth, it would mean that Takumi’s adaptability is  _ far _ beyond what I imagined.”

“Since they both have the same body, maybe they have similar maneuverability?” Iketani offered, and Yuichi shook his head.

“I highly doubt that. That 85 is a joke, compared to the 86 that Bunta has built and modified over the years.”

“A joke?!” Itsuki shrieked, sounding offended.

“So, you mean to tell me that Takumi can drive pretty much any car?” Iketani asked, ignoring Itsuki as he wilted.

“Just as long as they have the FR layout, he can bring out their full potential.” Iketani let out a sound of understanding at that. “Not just anyone can drive an 86, Iketani. You have to have mastered the basic skills to drive one. Bunta used to always tell me that an 86 is the kind of car that trains its driver.”

~0~

Kenji heard his friend stop speaking suddenly as he fell to a stop at the bottom of a set of stairs, prompting him to pull his gaze away from his car and towards his friend. The sound of an engine caught his attention before he could look at him, though, and the both of them watched as a red EG6 drove past them into the lot.

“That car… it had a NightKids sticker on it.” Kenji commented quietly as they watched it pull into a parking spot.

“It has street racing written all over it.” his friend tacked on, sounding impressed.

“Absolutely.” Kenji agreed, and both began walking towards his 180 once again. “You can totally tell modified cars from normal ones by looking at how they run.”

“Right!” the friend chirped, looking at him as he rounded the nose of the 180 to get to the passenger side door. “Those NightKids have been coming to Akina a lot recently. What do you think they want?”

“Mmmm, I’m not too sure.” Kenji responded as he unlocked the driver’s door and used the unlock button for the passenger side to open it up, sliding in as he did so and slid his key into the ignition. “Since their leader Nakazato lost, I don’t think anyone from their team will bother to come out for a rematch.” as he started her up and pulled out, driving by two individuals walking towards the set of stairs that led up to a diner, he missed the sharp, calculating glare sent his 180’s way.

The owner of that glare tore his gaze away from the car, his teeth grinding together for a moment in agitation as he forced himself to continue towards the diner, his companion side eyeing him while chattering on as they continued forward.

“You know,” he spoke up as they entered the building and picked a booth to sit at. He dropped his keys on the table and reclined in his seat. “I almost feel kinda bad for him. Now that Takeshi has lost to that 86, he can’t act all invincible anymore.” he shot his companion a sly grin as a waitress approached their table.

“Hello, what can I get for you?” she asked politely as she began setting cups of water down in front of them.

“Two coffees, please.” his companion chirped pleasantly, holding up two fingers, and the waitress nodded.

“Sure.” and said with a smile, and quickly walked off.

“Anyway, Shingo, I heard that the 86 driver in the SpeedStars is just a kid.” the other began as she left earshot, his expression serious.

“Takeshi said the 86 driver is unaffiliated.” Shingo interrupted, rolling his eyes.

“Still! He’s just a kid!” Shingo let out an amused scoff at that as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

“Well, I don’t know how good this supposed kid is… but when I beat that 86, it’ll just prove that I’m  _ better _ than Takeshi.” he began idly fidgeting with the carton. “I’ll be the fastest one in the NightKids.”

“I don’t know about this, Shingo.” the other male interjected nervously. “I know you’re fast downhill, but I’ve heard this kid is abnormal.”

“Don’t worry yourself so much.” Shingo smiled smugly. “I know I can take him fair and square, but I have a more…  _ interesting  _ idea. One that will ensure my victory.” his grin grew wider as the other male eyed him as he drank his water, a confused expression on his face, before realization hit him and he began to choke, a few dark blue scales appearing on his face as he cleared his airway. “Don’t die, now.”

“Oh, shut up, please don’t tell me you’re going to do what I think you are!” Shingo chuckled, resisting the urge to move his tail a little in response. 

“You’ll see. I’ll show him an impressively dangerous downhill. After all, the world only needs one downhill specialist.” he opened the carton with a smirk and pulled out a cigarette, his other hand reaching into his pocket as he placed the offending object in his mouth and fumbled for the lighter. “The 86 is outdated. I’ll make sure to send it to the scrap yard.” he pulled out the lighter and flipped it open, almost laughing at the sight his teammate made as he lit his cigarette. “Shingo Shouji of the the NightKids is the fastest downhill racer in Gunma, not some random kid with an 86.”

~0~

Fumihiro paused mid-drink as the sound of rotaries reached his ears, and after taking a moment to make sure he’d repressed all of his feathers, turned his head towards where the sound was coming from, lightly raising an eyebrow when he realized that only the FD was pulling towards him. He put the can down atop the car he was leaning against as the yellow car parked beside him and fell silent.

“Hey, Keisuke, where’s Ryousuke?” Fumihiro asked as Keisuke stepped from his FD, a small frown on his face.

“Aniki locked himself up in his room.” the blonde responded, taking a moment to stretch. “He’s been staring at his computer screen for ages now. He really seems to  _ like _ doing that. He’s the only street racer in Gunma who trains by staring at a computer screen.” Fumihiro grabbed his can from the top of his car and hummed agreeingly as he eyed it, before downing the contents and tossing it into a nearby trash bin. “You know, I wonder what would happen if aniki and the 86 of Mount Akina raced.”

“That’s easy.” Fumihiro responded. “There’s no way Ryousuke would lose to him. I mean, Ryousuke should know everything he needs to about the 86 by now. I’m absolutely sure he has all the data he needs to create a simulation of a winning race in his head.” Keisuke hummed as he worked Fumihiro’s response around in his head, having pulled out a cigarette while he was talking and being in the middle of lighting it.

“Well,” Keisuke responded with a slight sigh. “No street racer knows more about cars than my brother. I can’t imagine him losing, considering his exceptional skills.”

“Then it’s settled-”

“Not quite.” Keisuke cut Fumihiro off as he stared at the mountains. “That 86 will put up one hell of a fight, and I can’t see it losing either.” flashes of the 86’s prior races played back in his head.

“Huh?” Fumihiro blinked, confused.

“With his high speed drift and delicate brake control… even by aniki’s own standards, he’s exceptional, too. As a fellow FR driver, I may have fallen for the way that 86 runs.”

“Keisuke…” Fumihiro breathed, unsure as to how he should take this sudden confession Keisuke was spouting so mutedly. This was so unlike the blonde, he usually didn't act so vulnerable around anyone, not even his brother.

“If they race, one will lose.” Keisuke pressed on, his expression becoming conflicted. “I don’t want aniki to lose, but… I really don’t want to see that 86 lose, either.” he let out a vaguely watery laugh as he turned a little to look at him, his eyes a little glassy. “It’s strange, isn’t it?”

Fumihiro didn’t know how to respond.

~0~

Itsuki watched excitedly from beside Kenji as Iketani practiced on Akina, back and forth, coming to a stop at one end of the little space they decided to occupy as he his the brakes and swerved to point in the opposite direction with a screech of tires, before stepping on the gas and repeating that process all over again.

“This is so cool.” Itsuki said quietly, his eyes never leaving Iketani’s S13.

“He hasn’t done this kind of practice so hard before, so it’s fun to watch. You’re kinda lucky that this is your first time watching him practice.” Kenji commented. Another squeal of tires caught their attention, and they turned to see Iketani’s S13 come to a stop haphazardly in the middle of the road.

“That was awesome!” Itsuki called towards Iketani, prompting Kenji to chuckle.

“He’s right!” Kenji spoke up. “Maybe I should try it, too!”

“I think I’m finally getting the hang on moving the rear sideways.” Iketani called back as he peered at them from the car window. “It’s all about timing!”

“You pull the emergency brake to start the drift.” Kenji said, watching as Itsuki peered at him before mimicking his posture out of the corner of his eye.

“But, I didn’t see Takumi pull the emergency brake even once the other night.”

“Well, Itsuki,” Iketani began with a smile. “Takumi uses the foot pedal brake to shift the car’s weight. You shouldn’t worry, as neither you nor me are even close to being at that level yet.” Itsuki jerked a little and Kenji watched him lightly smack his face.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” he called back, before muttering something about mosquitoes.

“Y’see, we usually go into a corner and then accelerate to skid the rear tires right before coming out, but that’s an elementary technique called Power Slide, and isn’t a true drift at all.” Iketani scratched at his cheek as Itsuki let out a sound to show he was listening. “Takumi drifts into a corner and controls the skid at the end in order to stabilize the car, which  _ is _ a true drift. That’s the fastest way to turn, not to mention it looks good, too.”

“You’ve done some research.” Kenji commented teasingly as Itsuki nodded sagely beside him.

“Well,” Iketani laughed out nervously. “I was bored while my dear Silvia was in the shop, so…” Iketani reached towards the passenger seat before brandishing a book with a slightly smug grin. “I read some books.”

“I wanna try the sidespin, too!” Kenji exclaimed excitedly, working up Itsuki as a result.

“Oooh! I’m so excited!”

“I think I’m ready for the next step!” Iketani announced, regaining their attention. “Instead of going in a straight line, I’m gonna try it in a low-speed turn!”

“Good luck, Iketani!” Itsuki announced.

“And be careful!” Kenji shouted, causing Iketani to wave him off as he turned and raced down the road. “Watch out for other cars!”

“We’ll meet you at the bottom!”

Iketani fully turned his attention to the road as the two humans vanished from his rear view, allowing him to finally relax like he’d been wanting from the start. He felt as his nails sharpened to claws, and could guess his eyes had changed to a glowing amber without even looking. The full moon was approaching, and he’d been starting to get itchy taking a human form for too long.

“It’s really hard to be in total control of your car.” he said to himself as he cleared the first corner. “This is one of those rare times that I wish I could be like Takumi.” a flash of light in his rear view caught his eye for only a second, but he brushed it off. “I wanna ride with Takumi, just one more time. Maybe with him driving Silvia. Watching him drive my car might just be the best way to learn from someone like him…” the light from before flashed in his rear view again, this time much brighter as the interior of his car suddenly flooded with light. “Huh? When did you… damn, I really wasn’t paying attention, huh?” he grit his teeth and began to turn a corner, his tires destabilizing by the slightest amount, when he felt the car jerk forward slightly, the sound of metal hitting metal filling the interior.

His instincts snarled in response.

“You hit my bumper!” he howled, both taken aback and nearly outraged, his teeth sharpening as he grit them harder, his molars nearly popping as they ground together. “Now I  _ really _ can’t let you go! Alright, pass me if you dare!”

Shingo smiled, feeling gleeful at his situation and thanking his luck for it. He’d seen a glimpse of the sticker in one of the corners. A SpeedStar, out in the open on his first night of stalking Akina for that 86. He had the fleeting question of how Takeshi would react to all of this pop up in his head as he watched the other racer’s Aura flare for a moment, a very weak and dull blue but coated in the situational rage he associated with werewolves nearing the full moon, but brushed it away. Why should he care? Quickly ridding himself of those thoughts, Shingo turned his focus back to the car in front of him as he watched for an opening, a point where the car just began to destabilize for a corner, and when he found it, he grinned ferally and sped up once again.

Iketani choked a little as he felt his car get bumped once again, this time forcing his car to lurch to the side and begin to spin out, panic lancing through him as he spun towards the inside. Was he going to crash, again? Not even twenty four hours after his car had come back from the shop? In a moment of clarity, he remembered what he’d been practiced only minutes earlier and put when he learned into effect, managing to stabilize his S13 enough into facing forward, slower than before but continuing on, that damned car, an EG6, still in his sights, and when the initial shock wore off, all Iketani could feel was a burning rage, his inner wolf demanding retribution, demanding that they rip that driver to shreds!

“A little tap on the bumper before a turn.” Shingo chortled, satisfied with himself as his tail loosened its vice grip on the seat. “That’s all you need to destabilize a pathetic FR.” he chanced a glance back at the rear view, his smile wilting slightly at the sight of that S13 giving chase, it’s aura fully flared and so, so angry. Not for the first time in his life, he began to think that maybe he shouldn’t have been testy with a probable werewolf, not with how feral they can be when crossed. As quickly as the doubts came, he shoved them down. This was not the time to be doubting himself! That S13 could never keep up with him, but he’d humor the chase. For now.

~0~

“... I was really furious! Practically feral.” Iketani’s voice caught Takumi’s attention as he and Itsuki sent off a customer.

“So, he was braking while cornering… at high speed?” Yuichi replied, sounding a little confused.

“Yeah.” Iketani said, and Itsuki perked beside Takumi as they both started towards the two. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it!”

“Really?” Itsuki chimed in, causing them to look at him. “But everyone does that! I mean, I step on the brake while cornering all the time.”

“We’re not talking about someone like you, Itsuki.” Iketani said dryly. “This driver wasn’t a beginner. That EG6 cleared those downhill turns at an incredible speed.”

“... EG6?” Takumi asked hesitantly, looking at Itsuki for assistance.

“It’s also called the Honda Civic.” Itsuki filled in gently.

“Oh.” Takumi tilted his head. “Why don’t they just call it a Civic, then?”

“The Civic is very popular amongst street racers, even though it’s an FF.” Itsuki continued. “It’s a non-turbo one point six liter like your 86, but its VTEC engine has tons of power.”

“Itsuki, you’re not answering my question.” Takumi said, though Itsuki continued on like he hadn’t said anything.

“It’s been a rival of the Levin and the Trueno for years. As an 86 driver, you should probably know more about the Civic than you currently do. And, as a Levin driver myself, I can’t let a Civic pass me!”

“Anyway,” Iketani took back over. “I just can’t believe it went in at that speed and then braked.”

“Well, that technique is called left foot braking.” Yuichi interjected.

“Left foot braking?”

“You usually don’t use this technique with an FR, but you brake with the left foot to stabilize the car at an extremely high speed.”

“Huh?”

“With an FF like an EG6, you need your right foot on the gas pedal continuously to avoid understeering, so you brake with your left foot to take the weight off the rear tires and turn more sharply. He must be a highly experienced FF driver to use that technique.” Yuichi crossed his arms. “I’m sure he’s fast.” Iketani nodded, a dark look coming over his face.

“He  _ was _ pretty fast… that asshole…” the memory of last night played in the wolf’s head. “I’d only avoided crashing because I’d just practiced spinning with the emergency brake beforehand. Otherwise, my beautiful Silvia would have been in the shop again!” Takumi was starting to click what he was hearing together into a dark image of what happened to Iketani last night, and he wasn’t liking what he he'd begun to think. “I’m gonna make that EG6 pay!” Iketani ended that vow with a click of teeth, before taking a moment to relax as he turned towards Takumi. “With that out of the way, before everything that happened, I got a great little idea.” he smiled slyly. “Hey, Takumi, how would you like to drive my S13?”

“Huh?” Takumi’s expression changed suddenly, this time much more confused and caught off guard.

“I wouldn’t mind in the slightest!” Iketani continued. “It’s refreshing to drive different cars sometimes, you know.”

“N-No, thank you.” Takumi waved a hand as he replied nervously, resisting the urge to click. “I’ll pass. I mean… you love that car, I don’t-” Takumi was cut off by Iketani grabbing his shoulders, and this time he clicked rather verbally.

“Please, Takumi?” the wolf practically begged. Itsuki peered at the both of them with wide eyes, a little taken aback by the suddenness of the topic, while Yuichi just watched on, amused. “I think I can learn so much from watching you drive it!” he let Takumi go and clasped his hands in front of his face. “Please!” Takumi’s expression became a little distressed as he visibly began to ponder what he’d been asked, and after a moment, he let out a shaky sigh.

“Alright.”

~0~

“Hey, Shingo?” a voice said, causing Shingo to glance up from his cigarette, turning his focus to his teammate. “Are you serious about racing against the 86 of Akina?” the rat let out a chortle at that as he glanced around the particularly empty parking lot.

“You’ll see.” he said, before taking a final drag of his cigarette. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Oh, alright.” as Shingo tossed the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out, his attention was turned towards the horizon. His plans were all coming together.

_ ‘Come on out, 86 of Mount Akina.’ _ he thought as he got into his car, quickly starting her up and leading his teammates out of the lot.  _ ‘I can hardly wait…’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm vaguely starting to lose sight of where I'm going with these chapters, I think it's because I skipped so much stuff in the original, which is reprehensible like wow, how impatient was I? (Kiyana)


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the wolf nearly faints again, and a challenge is issued

“Come on, Takumi!”

“I dunno, are you absolutely positive that you want me to do this?” Takumi felt vaguely uncomfortable with the situation, completely out of his depth. “Do I really have to?”

“Please, Takumi!” Iketani clasped his hands together in front of his face, a pleading expression adorned. “Just drive normally… It’ll still be educational for me! Please! I’ll owe you, big time!” Takumi let out a nervous hum, a hand coming up to the back of his head.

“I dunno, Iketani, I’m not really good with other people’s cars, so… I genuinely don’t think I’ll be any help…”

“Come on, Takumi.” Kenji pressed. “I’ve never seen Iketani beg this much, can’t you do it just this once?”

“Yeah!” Itsuki exclaimed excitedly. “Just this once!” with an exasperated look, Takumi released a sigh of defeat, firmly ignoring as Nejibana clicked from his pocket, incredibly amused.

“Okay, fine. Just this once, then.” he conceded, much to the other’s excitement. “But, please, don’t expect too much from me.”

“Thank you!” Iketani howled happily, practically jumping in his excitement as Takumi turned and began making his way towards the S13.

“Come on, let’s get this over with!”

“Right!”

 _“This might be fun.”_ Nejibana said from her hiding place as Takumi slid in, passively taking Iketani’s keys as they were handed to them. _“Don’t you think so too, master?”_

“All right, Iketani.” Kenji’s voice cut through Nejibana’s, allowing Takumi to firmly ignore her. “Don’t faint again, you hear me?”

“Oh, shut up.” Iketani laughed, swatting at Kenji good naturedly. “Don’t worry about that, this is my second time around…” Iketani turned towards Takumi, a bright smile on his face. “So bring it on, Takumi!”

“Okay.” Takumi nodded before turning back towards the road. “Here we go, then.”

“All right!” Iketani cheered, rolling up the window as Takumi pulled out into the road, allowing Nejibana to peak out from her pocket and hop onto the dash. She let out an agitated click as she slid a little.

 _“I don’t like this!”_ she huffed, prompting Takumi to laugh.

“You should have known that this dash wasn’t going to be the same as the 86’s, Bana, of course you’re gonna slide a little. Dad modified the dash of the 86 to allow spiders some grip, you know that.”

 _“Oh, shut up!”_ Takumi laughed a little as Nejibana began to visibly pout, even Iketani allowed himself to chuckle a little at the put out arachnid.

“What do you want me to do first, Iketani?” Takumi turned the conversation towards the wolf, glancing at him as his pedipalps and fangs finally emerged from his disguise.

“How about a breaking drift, for starters?” he offered, his hand coming up to grip the panic bar as the memory of last time brushed through his mind.

“Okay.” Takumi responded, looking a little awkward in the driver’s seat as he lightly shifted his positioning. The car began to speed up, prompting a pang of dread to rush down Iketani’s spine.

“Hey, are you going to do it on the first turn? Shouldn’t you get used to the car first?” he asked, sounding vaguely panicked, and Takumi merely hummed a little at him in response. “Aren’t we going a little too fast for your first time in the Silvia, too…?”

 _“Don’t scream.”_ was Takumi’s only response before he maneuvered the car through the corner, the beginning of a scream tearing through Iketani’s throat before he clamped his jaw shut, watching the world outside of the car rush by with a few tears falling from his eyes.

 _“He’s doing much better this time around.”_ Nejibana commented lightly as she slid around once again, her limbs still scrambling for a purchase on the dashboard. _“Hopefully he doesn’t pass out this time.”_

Takumi laughed lightly at her words.

Back at the top of the pass, Itsuki and Kenji kept their eyes locked on the road, the latter feeling a little worried about this entire situation.

“I hope Iketani’s all right.” he said, his arms crossed. Itsuki hummed his agreement beside him, his expression warping slightly as the memory of his last ride with Takumi came to mind.

“It’ll probably be just like last time all over again…” he bemoaned, and Kenji sighed.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Iketani felt like he was about to pass out, as much as he disliked the idea of passing out in the passenger seat again. Even his inner wolf was particularly agitated about it.

 _‘I can’t believe it… he can drift effortlessly in a car he’s never driven before…’_ he thought, his grip going a little slack as he unclenched his jaw a little, the small pinpricks of pain helping to keep him centered. _‘I never knew my S13 could go this fast!’_

 _“You know,”_ Takumi began, prompting Iketani to look over towards him. _“This is different from my 86 in a lot of ways I can’t really explain, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.”_

“What?” Iketani’s eyes flashed amber in his surprise. “But we only went through three turns…”

 _“I know.”_ Takumi shot him a fanged smile. _“I think I’m ready for a real drift.”_

“A… real drift?” Iketani parroted weakly. _‘Then what was he doing before now…?’_ the S13 sped up once more, causing Iketani’s grip on the panic bar to tighten as he clenched his jaw once again. He was not going to scream! Though, as they cleared the next corner, the car swinging through it much more than the previous, he came pretty damn close to it, instead letting out a very undignified squeak.

 _“I think I got it right on that last turn.”_ Takumi commented, his eyes darting to Nejibana for a split second when she began to click in response.

 _‘This is_ way _too advanced for me to understand…’_ Iketani thought as the two arachnids began to lightly converse, his mood dropping a little, before he realized that another corner was fast approaching, and braced himself for a long run.

~0~

It was much later when the S13 finally arrived back at the top of Akina, Itsuki hopping up from where he was seated on the rail as Kenji pointed it out. The passenger door came open as it came to a stop before them, Iketani dramatically falling out in a dazed heap.

“Oh, man!” Kenji chuckled, placing his hands on his hips as Itsuki stood beside him. “Looks like you made it this time!”

“You conquered the downhill!” Itsuki chimed in, and both watched as Iketani stood up slowly, still a little dazed.

“So, did you get a good look at his braking drift, Iketani?” Iketani blinked, turning to look at them.

“I have literally no idea.” he finally responded, causing Kenji to groan.

“So much for begging him to show you how.” the driver’s side door opened and Takumi stepped out, a slightly bemused expression on his face as Iketani opened his mouth, his hands on his hips.

“Well, yeah, but he made it look so simple that I realized that I’m not even slightly close to understanding his technique! But despite that, I feel like I’m a better racer already!”

“What’s that supposed to even _mean_?!” Kenji exclaimed, sounding more than a bit put out, but as Iketani opened his mouth to respond, the sound of an engine caught their attention. A set of headlights was approaching, headed towards the downhill, though as it drew closer, revealing more cars, Iketani began to growl lowly, prompting Takumi to glance at him, particularly concerned by this sudden change in behavior.

“Iketani…?”

“That’s the EG6 from yesterday!” he growled aloud, prompting everyone to snap to attention. If Iketani was positive that this was the same car, then it and the driver would not be politely welcomed into their territory. Takumi glanced once more at Iketani, who was now being backed by Kenji and Itsuki, and thought for a moment that they looked quite a bit like how his dad had described an angry pack of wolves. That train of thought didn’t last long as the group of cars slowed to a stop, allowing Takumi to catch sight of the team stickers on their rear windows.

NightKids? Wasn’t that Takeshi’s team?

The cars came to a stop and their engines began to fall silent as the driver of the lead car stepped out, the strangely overpowering scent of rodent quickly reaching Takumi’s nose, followed closely by the familiar stench of vague rot he’d smelled on Takeshi.

“That _punk_.” Iketani snarled quietly, taking a few steps forward and setting his hands on the rail. “Hey, you!” the driver of the EG6 paused in the middle of lighting a cigarette, peering at them with an unimpressed and almost annoyed expression. “I’d recognize your car anywhere, you’re the jackass who hit my Silvia from behind yesterday!” the EG6 driver raised a brow at him, taking a moment to light his cigarette before answering.

“And who are you?” he questioned, sounding a little confused.

“You _can’t_ tell me you don’t remember my poor S13!” Iketani yelled, and from how the other people around the, Takumi would assume rodent, backed away from him, his eyes likely flashed amber to accentuate his anger. The rodent turned his eyes to look at Iketani’s car, the confusion in his eyes quickly changing to recognition.

“Oh… it’s you…” he said, his expression turning vaguely smug as he leaned against his EG6.

“Damn right you remember me!” even the EG6 driver had to back away a little that time, Takumi was surprised that Kenji and Itsuki didn’t seem phased even in the slightest. Maybe it was because they didn’t have the werewolf’s anger directed at them. “You owe me an apology. I could have gotten badly hurt, or worse! I could have crashed my Silvia again, so soon after getting her back from the shop!”

“Are you kidding me?” the rodent chuckled a little, sounding smug. He took a drag from his cigarette. “That was _entirely_ your fault.”

“ _What?_ ” Iketani’s grip on the rail tightened.

“Well, your car was going so _slow_ that I couldn’t anticipate the damn thing. I never thought you could attack a corner that slowly. I _tried_ to brake, you know, but…” a sly grin came over his face. “Bump.”

“Whoa, there, Iketani!” Kenji grabbed his friend’s arm just as he made to jump the rail, the people around the rodent scattering a little from the obvious threat. Takumi was a little surprised that Iketani had actually stopped, he was much stronger than Kenji, after all.

“What did you say?!” he practically howled, struggling a little as Kenji grabbed his shoulder and tugged, trying to get him to back off a little.

“Come on, Iketani, calm down!”

“What a jerk! Stepping all over Iketani’s pride like that...” Itsuki huffed quietly, quickly jumping in to help Kenji pull Iketani back, and managing to succeed a little. The rodent let out a scoff, the smug grin quickly taking its place back on his face.

“If you insist on being so _angry_ about it, then we’ll have a race under my rules to make up for it. If I lose, I’ll grovel and beg for your forgiveness.”

“And just what do you mean, _your rules_?” Iketani stops his light struggling, allowing himself to be pulled back a little more by Kenji and Itsuki.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” he responded, Takumi was really starting to get tired of his tone. “We call it the ‘duct tape deathmatch.’” he flicked ash of the end of his cigarette with a chuckle, prompting the others to hesitantly join in.

“Just what kind of race is _that_ supposed to be?” Iketani huffed, crossing his arms as he pulled himself free from his friends’ grip.

“One where you tape your right hand to the steering wheel and then race. That’s all there is to it.”

“Duct tape your right hand to the steering wheel?” Iketani suddenly sounded more confused than angry, though Kenji’s expression was now particularly upset from what Takumi could see.

“It’s incredibly dangerous!” he snapped. “Yes, your shifting hand stays free, but with your right hand bound to the wheel-”

“You wouldn’t be able to switch hands if you needed to.” Itsuki, surprisingly, was the one to finish that statement, looking incredibly alarmed.

“Absolutely not!” Iketani exclaimed, crossing his arms. “Unlike you, I care about my well being and the well being of my car! Imagine something happens while you’re driving like that and you can’t react properly! That’s _far_ too dangerous!”

“For you, definitely.” the rodent sneered. “Though, I hear your 86 is a downhill specialist.”

“He’s not ours.” Iketani immediately responded, much to Takumi’s surprise, though he appreciated that.

“Whatever.” he rolled his eyes. “I bet _he_ could help you out with this challenge.”

“Doubt it.” Takumi said under his breath.

“Whatever the case may be, tell that 86 kid that I, Shingo Shouji of the Myogi NightKids, will be waiting here next Saturday at ten o’clock.” he took a final, deep drag of his cigarette. “We’ll have that duct tape deathmatch, mark my words.” he dropped his cigarette and stomped it out, quickly getting back into his car. “I’ll see you then.” he laughed, before starting his car back up and quickly driving off, the rest of the NightKids present following directly after him.

“Takumi, you can’t do it.” Iketani was quick to say, before he was stopped by the arachnid’s hand.

“I know.” he said, a small click leaving his throat. “I wasn’t planning on it.” he frowned. “Takeshi warned me that this, Shingo, might get twitchy about his loss and challenge me, but I don’t think he was expecting this.” a determined look entered his eyes as he looked back down the road. The memory of his last conversation with Takeshi, right after their race, entered his mind, and he came to a complete decision. “I guess I have someone to call about this when I get home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, practically one scene, I feel kinda bad, but that's literally the most I can do. I'm burning out, for real this time, and I can't handle writing this for too long, I feel like if I keep trying I'll just end up making myself hate this and I can't do that. I adore OSRASL! So, this chapter was both to get something small out, and to tell you guys reading that I'll be taking a break from writing for OSRASL and Initial D. (Kiyana)


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn more about this dangerous new challenger, a team falls out, and the spider rears into a threat posture

Takumi was off to his little world as he was cleaning a customer’s car, though, something was nagging in the back of his head as he kept going back to what happened last night and what Takeshi had told him. He wasn’t trying to dwell on it on purpose.

“A duct tape deathmatch?” Yuichi’s voice carried towards him easily and Takumi quietly sighed, it really didn’t help that they kept talking about it.

“Yeah.” Iketani’s reply was simple.

“That sort of thing is incredibly reckless.” Yuichi’s tone conveyed his vague alarm as he crossed his arms. “Has Takumi…?”

“No.” Iketani sounded a little relieved. “As usual, he’s calm and unexcited about the prospect of racing. He’s not into it at all. For once, I'm thankful."

“Is it bad that I kinda want him to do it?” Itsuki spoke up. “I mean, that guy was a real jerk, it would be incredibly refreshing to watch Takumi beat him and make him apologize! Not to mention, he drives a _Civic_!" he practically hissed the car make. “The rival of the Levin and Trueno!” Yuichi merely hummed in response.

“In my day, we raced in a variety of different ways under different rules.” he mused. “But the duct tape deathmatch was one of the most dangerous.”

“Is it really that bad?” Itsuki asked, sounding almost awed, in a way. “It doesn’t sound like it.”

“Well then, Itsuki,” Iketani’s tone was suddenly teasing. “How about you get in your car and try it for yourself. Maybe then you’ll understand.”

“Eh?”

“Here, get in the driver’s seat, I’ll show you.” Takumi paused in his actions to look towards them, watching as Itsuki got into his car. Iketani leaned against the door frame. “Okay, don’t let go of the wheel with your right hand, and try to steer all the way to the other side.”

“Okay!” Takumi watched as Itsuki turned the wheel, his arm beginning to strain a little the further it turned the wheel, before eventually stopping. The front tires hardly even moved in response. “This is as far as I can turn it, Iketani!”

“Then let go of the wheel and get out of the car. You’ll be able to see just how much you steered.”

“Alright.” he did as he was asked rather quickly, shutting the car door as he peered at his tires. “What?! They hardly even turned! But I steered as far as I could.” he shouted in his usual overexcited manner.

“Do you see it now, Itsuki?” Iketani asked, prompting Itsuki to look at him with wide eyes.

“How are you supposed to be able to turn corners like this? Let alone drive the pass…”

"You can't." his answer was simple, yet concrete. "That's why this rule is so dangerous." he crossed his arms. “Steering can only be used to initiate a turn, actually turning the car is the job of the rear tires, by sliding them. You have to do this at _every_ corner.”

“What?!” Itsuki shouted again. “B-But, Takumi is a drift master! He’d be able to manage, right?” Takumi rolled his eyes in his mind.

“It’s not that easy, Itsuki.” Iketani shook his head. “You can’t counter, which makes it harder to control the drift. Oversteering means a spin, but if you go ‘under’ into a turn, that’ll be the end.”

“This rule definitely favors an FF driver.” Yuichi spoke up again. “You said he drives an EG6, right?”

“Yes.”

“Its accelerator eliminates oversteering, so he can attack those corners at full speed. Its side brake also eliminates ‘under’. An FR like the 86 is at a disadvantage under this rule, as it would need to continuously drift through a narrow area as if walking on a tightrope…” Yuichi drifted off to his thoughts. _'It isn't impossible, though.'_ as he recalled a godlike driver, nicknamed God Arm, from Ibaraki.

Takumi sighed and finished his cleaning, quickly putting away his supplies as he walked over towards the small group.

“If I’m completely honest,” Yuichi picked back up. “It’d be better to just avoid it.” the Grim felt Takumi walking up on them. _‘This kind of talk might make him interested in it, though, so it’s very risky talking about it like we are.’_

“Hey, Boss-” the sound of a car horn cut Takumi off, much to Yuichi’s vague relief, as everyone turned to see who it was.

“Hey, isn’t that Kenji?” Itsuki asked, peering over Takumi’s shoulder.

“It looks like it is…” Takumi responded quietly, watching as the car came to a stop and fell silent.

“Iketani!” Kenji exclaimed as he got out of his car, another SpeedStar getting out of the passenger seat after him. “I did some research on that punk from the other day. He’s Shingo Shouji, of the Myogi NightKids.”

“Shingo Shouji… of the Myogi NightKids…” Iketani grumbled the name out as he pondered it.

“Apparently, he’s their number two, but he’s confident enough to call himself the fastest downhill racer on his team. He’ll stop at nothing to reach his goals, so he’s not very popular with his teammates. The only one who tends to stand his attitude is their leader, Nakazato, but even he has to put his foot down pretty often.”

“That would explain why he’s so intent on challenging Takumi.” Iketani grasped his chin between his right finger and thumb. “He’s trying to take over the NightKids, and wants to use Takumi to do it.”

“He’s been spreading rumors about it already.” their teammate said.

“Rumors?” Iketani asked, his eyes flashing. Takumi crossed his arms as he listened.

“Yeah!” he continued. “He’s spreading around that us SpeedStars are scared of losing, and are avoiding his challenge. He hasn’t said a single word about duct tape, and besides, I thought he’d know that Takumi’s a lone wolf, he _is_ a NightKid after all!”

“He’s making us look bad.” Iketani growls, prompting Itsuki to begin fidgeting angrily.

“What a jerk!” he snapped, causing Takumi to turn his gaze towards him fully. He was very discontented by what he was learning, he could hear Nejibana’s irritated clicking emanating from his work shirt pocket.

“He’s really working hard to drag Takumi into that race, no matter what…” Yuichi commented idly, before his eyes widened and he turned to look at Takumi. “Oh, uh…” his sudden change in tone caused them all to turn and look at Takumi too, they all seemed to have forgotten he was there.

“Why are you all looking at me?!” Takumi exclaimed, alarmed. “I’m not going to race him, no matter what he says or does! I really don’t care, I mean it!” everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

“That’s good!” Iketani said, smiling. “Despite how we’ve been acting about it, you really don’t have to accept every challenge that comes your way. Especially if they’re dangerous, like this one. Just forget about it, alright?”

“Yeah…” Takumi smiled back at Iketani, but internally he was seething over everything he’d learned. He needed to make another call to Takeshi, it seemed. He was _not_ pleased, and he doubted the dullahan would be happy to hear about what his second had been up to.

~0~

“Hey, Shingo, whatever happened to that race with the 86?” Shingo glanced up from where he was reclined. “Anything new?” the rodent chuckled.

“I’m all ready to go.” he said smugly. “It’s all up to him, now. Don’t worry about it, I’ll drag the little coward out of hiding, no matter what.” his teammates laughed.

“Sounds like it’ll be an interesting race.” a different teammate spoke up. “I wonder-”

“ _Shingo Shouji!_ ” Takeshi’s voice was sudden as it echoed across the diner, causing all of the NightKids present to whip their heads up to look at him, the color draining from their faces.

“Shit!” the first teammate hissed, a few dark blue scales appearing on his face to accompany his freckles. “Takeshi looks _royally pissed_.” Shingo merely reclined more as Takeshi stopped in front of the table, his phone in hand and the little pink rabbit charm swaying out in the open.

“I heard that you’re planning something _big_ , and I don’t like the details I’ve been given.” he said lowly, his tone angry as he crossed his arms. “You can do what you want, but if I hear that you’ve done anything dirty that’ll smear the NightKids name should any of the other teams hear of it, I’ll drag you back to Myogi myself.” Takeshi rose a brow as Shingo merely began to laugh, an amused look on his face. “You think I’m joking?”

“Haven’t you already smeared the NightKids name, though?” he asked smugly, a large grin on his face. Takeshi’s eye twitched, and not for the first time he started questioning why he was entertaining this at all. “I mean, you _lost_ to an obsolete 86, while driving a powerful R32, didn’t you?”

“Shingo…” Takeshi’s tone turned warningly as Shingo stood up.

“A loser like you should be off sulking somewhere.” Shingo sneered, hardly even reacting when Takeshi began to bare his teeth at him. “Someone like you has no right to give me a lecture as if they’re still the leader of the pack. You make me laugh.”

“You’re walking on thin ice, Shouji.” Takeshi growled, and Shingo vaguely widened his eyes at the usage of his last name.

“Oooh, did I strike a nerve?” he couldn’t help but continue to taunt, ignoring the little voice in his head that was telling him to shut up. “I’m going to avenge your loss, Nakazato, and restore the NightKids’ pride. You should be _thankful._ ” as he turned to leave, Takeshi’s arm whipped out and grabbed his own roughly, stopping Shingo in his tracks.

“When the 86’s driver called me, telling me about what you’ve been up to, and just what you challenged him to, I was glad he said he wasn’t interested and wanted me to intervene.” he began, causing Shingo to begin to turn red.

“He has your number?!”

“But now,” Takeshi plowed through his angry question as though he hadn’t said a word. “I hope he _does_ race you, because he’ll kick your ass. And when he does, I’ll be there to force you to take temporary leave of the team!” there were a few resounding gasps around the diner as the NightKids around them heard what was said. “You’ve crossed lines tonight, rat. Don’t be surprised when I’m not on your side this time.” he let go of Shingo’s arm, not caring that he left red marks behind. “You all seem to want him as your leader, so fine. Shingo will lead until this nonsense is over. I’m thoroughly sick of this.” and with that, he stormed off, the door slamming behind him as he stalked back to his car.

Shingo was a jumble of thoughts. Him, the leader? This wasn’t how he’d wanted to obtain that title. He…

“Well,” he shakily recovered. “You heard the man. I’m the leader now.” he began to grin as it fully sunk in. “And first things first, I have to send that 86 of Mount Akina to the scrap yard.” Takeshi will regret turning against him. “And I know just where to start.”

~0~

_“Hey… dad?”_ Takumi spoke up just before beginning his run for the morning, Nejibana peering at the full water cup curiously from the dash as he set it in the cup holder. His pedipalps shifted nervously.

 _“Hmm?”_ Bunta turned his full attention to his kid.

 _“You remember Takeshi, right? If even vaguely.”_ Bunta nodded. _“Someone from his team challenged me the other day, and everyone is kinda freaking out about it… Is a duct tape deathmatch…?”_ Takumi’s expression fell as he trailed off, before he clicked and shook his head. _“No, it’s stupid. Never mind.”_ as he rolled up the window and drove away, he missed the suddenly concerned expression on his father’s face as the older spider watched him drive away.

 _“A duct tape deathmatch… that doesn’t sound very good.”_

~0~

“Thank you very much!” Iketani and Takumi both chimed politely hours later as a customer drove away, a quiet sigh leaving Iketani as they put on their hats to begin work again.

“Hey!” Yuichi’s voice echoed from the garage, causing them to turn to him. “Where’s Itsuki?”

“He was just washing his car again, last I checked…” Takumi tilted his head, catching sight of slight movement in the corner of the garage.

“Where’d he go? He was just here!” Iketani exclaimed, before Takumi began walking forward. The wolf followed behind curiously.

“Why are you hiding back here, Itsuki?” Takumi said aloud, causing Itsuki, who’d been hiding behind one of the shelves with a book, to choke in surprise.

“Um!” he quickly stood, hiding the book behind his back. “I, uh, was just resting…”

“Riiiight.” Iketani jeered, sliding closer to him. “You know, it’s pretty _rare_ to see you with a book!” he quickly snatched the object from Itsuki’s hands and held it far about him, reading the open pages as Itsuki began trying to get it back from him.

“Hey!”

“Ah, nothing I haven’t already read.” Iketani hummed, sounding a little disappointed as he gave the book back to him.

“Just because you’ve read it doesn’t mean you can be harsh to the book.” Itsuki huffed. “Besides, I need to see if I can learn anything before I go practicing on Akina tonight.”

“You’re really intent on making a street race worthy car out of that 85, huh?” Iketani questioned, prompting Itsuki to nod excitedly.

“Of course!” he crowed. “After seeing what it became while Takumi was at the wheel, why wouldn’t I?!” Iketani nodded, completely understanding.

“I get what you mean.” he responded, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s a sight.”

“You guys need to stop talking about me like I’m not here.” Takumi spoke up, sounding slightly amused.

“Well, you’re always so quiet.” Iketani grinned at him. “How are we supposed to remember you’re here if you ghost around like you’re not?”

"That's rude, _pup._ " Ever since that encounter with Shingo, Takumi has been slightly more on edge. Something in the back of his head prickled ever so vaguely, filling him with a dread of something he didn’t yet know.

“Hey!” Iketani turned a little red. “Don’t call me pup! You're younger than me!” the incredibly confused expression on Itsuki’s face merely prompted Takumi to snicker as he pointedly ignored the ever insistent feeling of pins somewhere in his head.

It’ll be fine, he's sure of that.

Takumi’s tune changed drastically, though, much later that night, when Yuichi came running out of the store at work, a panicked look on his face and smoke rising from his skin, eyes almost sunken black.

“You aren’t going to like this!” he yelled, catching their attention. “Itsuki got into an accident and is in the hospital!” Takumi’s eyes widened, snapping the pencil he was holding, that insistent pricking feeling returning with a vengeance.”

“Where?!” Iketani asked, starting to sound panicked in response to this news.

“Akina pass!” Yuichi shifted his weight between his feet. “I need both of you to go check on him! I’ll man the fort, just go!”

“Right!” Iketani chimed, quickly grabbing Takumi’s arm and dragging him towards his S13 as the younger spider began to click in agitation and panic. The drive to the hospital, while quick, wasn’t quick enough in Takumi’s opinion, and neither was the process of getting Itsuki’s room number and making their way there.

"Itsuki!" Iketani couldn't help but to shout, which alarmed the nurse tending to his wounds.

“Oh, Iketani, Takumi!” Itsuki replied, a smile on his face and in good spirits despite his condition. He was littered with bandages.

“Itsuki, what happened?” Iketani reeled in his volume on that one, coming to a stop beside the bed with Takumi peering over his shoulder, fidgeting anxiously, an unusual yet dangerous aura flowing around him.

“It’s nothing!” Itsuki chuckled, looking a little weary.

 _‘Sure it's nothing.’_ Takumi thought sarcastically as the smug grin of the rat reappeared in his mind's eye and the clicking intensified.

“It’s not as bad as it looks, really. They’re keeping me here to run some tests, just in case.” an uncomfortable chuckle fell from him as he rubbed the back of his head with a free hand. “They think I might have a minor concussion.”

“And… how’s your 85?” Iketani asked, sounding a little nervous as he took a small step away from Takumi, finding his anger to be disconcerting. “What happened to it?” Itsuki looked a little hurt as he processed the question, his good spirits visibly waning.

“Well… I spun it well!” he tried to chirp. “Only the trunk area was damaged.”

“Okay!” the nurse chirped as she stood. “All done!”

“Thank you very much!” they all intoned as she walked out the door, leaving the three of them alone and allowing Takumi to occupy the space she’d taken up. The moment she left, Itsuki’s good spirits completely wilted as he began to tear up, a small choke causing his friends to turn around in alarm.

“I was just starting my practice.” he started. “When I started being tailgated. All I can remember is that I felt the car jerk and begin to spin out. It was so scary. I tried to regain control, but at least I didn’t crash headfirst into a tree.” Takumi felt a small prick in the back of his head, a vague haze of red settled over his vision as Itsuki began to cry quietly.

 _"Who?"_ everybody jumped at Takumi’s tone. _"Who did_ **_this_ ** _to you?"_

"I think it was a red Civic…" Itsuki said with a tread.

 _'That_ ** _fucking_** _does it!'_ he thought as a round of clicks began to escape from his throat. Iketani took another step away from Takumi, something about the usually docile spider had just completely changed right before their eyes, and all he knew is that his instincts were telling him to fear it.

“Takumi…?” Itsuki asked, looking concerned through his tears. He knew what an angry Takumi looked like, and he was watching one form right before him. It was a little alarming.

"I am leaving, duct tape match or not, that **rat** will pay!"

"Takumi! Hold up!" surprised by how quickly Takumi could change his entire personality, and how quickly he was able to walk, Iketani gave chase, his eyes turning amber as he ran into one of the nurses. “I’m so sorry.” he quickly apologized to her, before turning his gaze back to Takumi. “Hold up! Don’t let his actions drag you into his trap! It’s all so ridiculous! Don’t do it, Takumi!”

"If I don't, he'll harm the rest of my nest and I _refuse_ to let that happen!" there was no changing his mind anymore, that rat had crossed a line. Yuichi was right, he _was_ a little too docile for a creature like him. That wasn’t going to be the case for much longer. A grin spread across his features as his fangs gleamed in the light.

There was hell to pay. No one crosses a Jorōgumo and gets away with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's baaaack!~ Last month, on May 15th, OSRASL officially turned a year old! Happy late birthday to my brainchild!! I'm kinda upset I missed celebrating, but hey, what can I do? I hardly ever know what day of the week it is, let alone the date itself. Updates will be pretty slow, as I am bouncing between Initial D and Kaiji right now so it's a wild joyride of which gets creative attention from me. But, I'm glad to be back. I missed my dearest spider boy so much. (Kiyana)


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone learns that the challenge has been accepted, and the night of the race comes quickly as the race itself comes underway.

A cool breeze drifted in through an open window, brushing around the soft white curtains gently as it carried with it the sound of crickets, which Ryousuke hardly heard over the sound of his fingers busily clicking away at his laptop keyboard. It was a rather peaceful night, joining the previous few in a rather recent yet welcome trend. He’d always worked better on quiet nights, the elder Takahashi brother welcomed as many as he could get.

But, alas, it was too good to be true on this night, the thundering footfalls ascending the stairs was proof enough of that.

“ _ANIKI!_ ” Keisuke’s particularly panicked yell caused Ryousuke to pause in his typing, turning as his bedroom door was nearly flung open by his younger brother, the vaguely shaken but angry look on his face throwing him off a little.

“Keisuke? What’s wrong?” he asked, watching as Keisuke took a moment to catch his breath. Just where in the house did he run to his room from?

“That _idiot_ ,” Keisuke sounded a little winded despite his pause for breath. “Akina’s 86, he accepted that duct tape deathmatch challenge everyone's been talking about, the one from the NightKids’ number two!”

“He what?” Ryousuke turned away from his laptop fully, his eyes widening at this news as Keisuke took his response as a sign to continue in his rant.

“His opponent is an EG6! Just what the hell is he thinking?! That kind of race is an FR killer! It’s just common sense that it heavily favors an FF.”

“Right… it’s common sense…” Ryousuke trailed off with that thought, idly allowing his chair to spin a little as he pondered.

“Eh?” Keisuke sounded confused.

“But…” he turned back to his brother. “You must remember, all common sense flies out the window when that kid is behind the wheel.” Keisuke sighed a little as he crossed his arms. He couldn’t argue with that.

“So, what, should we go check it out?” Keisuke asked him, and Ryousuke tilted his head a little at the question. “I kinda wanna ask him what got into him. Didn’t the SpeedStars start telling everyone that he said he was staying out of it? What made him change his mind?”

“Whatever it was, it must have been something big.” Ryousuke responded idly. “Fujiwara doesn’t seem to be the type of guy who changes his mind very easily, after all.”

~0~

“Hello…?” the hesitant call into the store made Bunta perk a little from the kitchen, he recognized that voice very easily, and as he shifted down into a more human form and stepped through the doorway, he realized that his customer wasn’t alone.

“Hello again, Iketani.” Bunta greeted, causing the wolf to look a little surprised that he’d remembered his name. “Sorry, but we’re closed, there isn’t any fried tofu left.

“O-Oh, no, that’s not what we stopped by for.” Iketani chuckled a little, sounding nervous. “Uh, is Takumi home?”

“Takumi?” Bunta echoed. “Nope, I’m afraid you missed him by about an hour. He took the 86 and left, didn’t tell me a word about where he was going.” not to mention he’d taken Nejibana with him too, so wherever he’d gone, it’d been important.

“Damn.” Iketani’s friend cursed the air around him under his breath as Iketani himself looked as though he wanted to whine pitifully.

“Uh, Bunta…” the usage of his first name drew the entirety of his attention to Iketani. “Have you ever done a duct tape deathmatch before?” ah… so that was what this was about? He remembered his kid asking about that only a week ago.

“Yeah.” Bunta responded, pulling his cigarette carton from his pocket and removing one of the flammable sticks, placing it in his mouth. “Once, a long, long time ago.”

“Do you have any clue how it’d go if Takumi attempted something like that?” Iketani sounded fearful of the question as Bunta lit his cigarette. What was his stupid hatchling _thinking_ , worrying a pack animal like this?

“The kid’s still a beginner.” Bunta responded bluntly. “A likely scenario is him going down the cliff.” and as far as he knew, only the car and Nejibana wouldn’t come out of such an event. Jorōgumo were far too resilient for a plummet off a cliff to do them in.

“Ohhh…” Iketani’s friend sounded fearful. “Come on, Iketani, we have to keep looking!”

“Right, Kenji.” Iketani agreed, looking to his friend as he nodded before looking back at Bunta. “Sir, if he comes home, you’ve gotta convince him not to do it. Thank you very much for your time!” the wolf bowed a little, Kenji quickly following his lead, before the both of them hurried from the store and jumped into the S13 parked outside and drove away. Bunta watched them go, a blank look on his face as he pulled down the storefront shutters and unlocked the side door into the alley to allow Takumi access when he got home. A few long strides brought him back into the safety of the living room, where he shifted once again and settled in front of the television, where Tama was watching him with worry.

_“Master…?”_

_“So my silly hatchling has gotten himself involved in a duct tape deathmatch, huh?”_ Bunta partly ignored his familiar. _“Dumb spiderling, something bad must have happened to have him change his mind so drastically.”_

 _“My own hatchling was telling me something about that human of Takumi’s being in the hospital.”_ Tama oh so helpfully supplied. _“She’s of the opinion that he’s festering a grudge.”_ that alone was enough to make Bunta pale a little.

A grudge. Outsiders help the poor sap it’s targeted at.

~0~

He could feel it claw at him, a jabbing feeling in the back of his mind. It wasn’t hard at all for him to figure out what it was as he near obsessively rubbed at the back of his head in an attempt to alleviate the odd pressure. His father had told him about them, grudges. He’d been young, it was before Nejibana’s clutch had even been conceived. He’d been smaller, less stable on the two legs his human form limited him to. He remembered clearly what a grudge entailed, and he thought himself lucky that the jabbing had only begun within the last two hours.

It wasn’t so set, at this hour. A race would clear it up. And if he gave that _rat_ a taste of his own medicine… well, he could just say the grudge made him do it. Because, honestly, it will have been the truth.

“You don’t look very good, Takumi.” Takeshi’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Are you alright? Are you sure you’re in the right condition to race?” the dullahan looked a little stressed. “Why’d you even accept Shingo’s challenge, anyway?”

“I don’t have control of that now.” Takumi rubbed at the back of his head just the slightest bit harder, getting annoyed. His voice was accompanied by a click every so often. “He attacked my nest. My chosen clutchmate is in the hospital because of him. My own psychology is no longer allowing me to sit back and pretend it isn’t happening.” Takeshi’s eyes widened a little, seeming to understand the implications, before he clicked his tongue.

“I can’t believe that idiot.” he snapped to himself. “He should know better than to pull this shit in unfamiliar territory.” he crossed his arms. “How bad is it?”

“Not very.” Takumi lowered his arms. “It’s just annoying, but it’s only just begun to develop. I’m pretty sure winning this race will be enough for it. But…” Takumi wavered a bit on this last sentence. “I’ll tell you if I find out otherwise, if it strengthens during the race.”

“Knowing my mate like I do,” Takeshi admitting to their relationship like this was surprising enough to Takumi that the jabbing seemed to lessen in severity. “He’ll pull some underhanded, and dirty, tricks. All that he knows, just to win. I don’t doubt that it’ll worsen during the race, I’d be surprised if it didn’t.”

“Takumi!” the familiar, howled shout caused Takumi to turn, allowing him to catch sight of Iketani and Kenji quickly running his way.

“What are the SpeedStars doing here?” Takeshi questioned, peering over Takumi’s head at the approaching duo.

“Akina _is_ their territory too, you know.” Takumi responded blandly. “Though, I have a good idea as to their purpose tonight.”

“Gods,” Kenji huffed as they finally closed in and came to a stop. “There’s so many people here!”

“That’s the third time you’ve said that, Kenji.” Iketani huffed, looking vaguely put out. “And again, I didn’t think the crowd would be so _big_.”

“After he defeated me?” Takeshi sounded incredulous, though his voice made both Iketani and Kenji jump a little, as though they hadn’t even noticed he was there. “There’s no way it would have been smaller, the NightKids are almost just as famous as the RedSuns. You can only expect the crowd to get bigger after each of his wins when it comes to more popular teams.”

“I-I mean…” Iketani floundered momentarily before visibly regaining his nerve. “I can’t really argue with that logic.”

“The crowd just makes this more stressful.” Kenji shuffled closer to Iketani.

“You guys came to talk me out of this, didn’t you.” Takumi asked rhetorically, prompting Takeshi to raise a brow as Iketani and Kenji began to flounder a little again.

“I… well…” Iketani sighed. “Yeah, we did. But, you have to see it our way, Takumi!” Iketani grabbed his shoulders. “Your opponent drives an FF, and you should know that! We’ve been blabbering on about it constantly for the past week! This entire race favors him fully! It’s not too late to drop out!”

“I’m not dropping out.” Takumi responded firmly, removing Iketani’s hands from his shoulders. “I’m not going to lose. You can’t change my mind, Iketani.”

“And besides,” Takeshi spoke up again, gesturing towards the road. “It’s definitely already a bit too late.” that caused the small group to look in that direction, the headlights of a small procession of cars making their way towards the top. Iketani actually whined at that, much to Takumi’s surprise.

“You two go back to the sidelines.” Takumi said gently, ignoring the slowly strengthening jabs at the back of his head. “I’ll be fine.” Iketani’s eyes were vaguely amber as he looked at Takumi searchingly, the oddly protective aura around him telling the young spider that his wolf was obviously highly against this.

“... Alright.” Iketani grabbed Kenji’s hand, much to the human’s surprise. “I’ll believe you tonight. Be careful, alright?”

“I will, Iketani.” Takumi smiled at him as the cars came to a stop. “Now shoo!” that was enough to make Iketani retreat with Kenji in tow, the human’s complaints falling flat as Takumi’s opponent stepped from his car, the rest of his entourage following suit.

“Did you and your slow ass S13 come to watch your little wonder boy lose?” Shingo jeered, causing Kenji to turn and growl at him.

“Just ignore him.” Iketani tugged on Kenji’s arm to get him moving in the right direction again. “He’s not worth it. He’s not our problem anymore.” Takumi watched as the rat’s face twisted slightly in offence at the statement, though the much more amused face of one of his teammates behind him quickly caught his eye. The man reached up to cover his mouth with a fist, pretending to hide the amusement behind a yawn. A bright pink ribbon was wrapped around his wrist, the ends of it swaying in the gentle night air along with his hair.

“A least I can count on her to stay out of Shingo’s schemes.” Takeshi muttered, sounding displeased. “Though, I bet he came just to keep my team out of trouble, knowing Shingo definitely won’t. I bet she gave him that ribbon, she has hundreds of the damn things.”

“Takeshi?” Takumi sounded incredibly confused. “What are you on about?”

“Team stuff.” was the immediate reply. A scoff dragged Takumi’s attention back towards Shingo in time to see him approach, his eyes locked on Takeshi.

“Just what are _you_ doing here, Nakazato?” the rat vaguely sneered. Takeshi’s eyebrow twitched.

“Isn’t it obvious, Shouji?” Takeshi responded with equal bite. “Since I’m not the acting leader of the NightKids anymore, I can support whoever the hell I please.” an incredibly unhappy look crossed his face. “And it’s certainly not going to be _you_.” Shingo had the decency to look a little hurt by the statement, it was obvious to Takumi that they’d had a falling out over tonight’s race.

“Tch. Fine, whatever, see if I care.” the rat snapped in response, his eyes turning instead to Takumi and the car. “You’re that punk from the other night.” he said in lieu of a greeting, though Takumi wasn’t sure he would have wanted one anyway. “You wasted my damn time, you know.”

“Good.” Takumi bared his teeth in warning, his sharper than normal canines making Shingo take a vague step back. Oh, how he wished he could truly bare his fangs at this rodent. “If you even barely struggled, then I’m glad. Especially after you put my little brother in the hospital.” Takeshi took a vague step away from Takumi, an overprotective Jorōgumo was a sight to behold indeed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

~0~

The light came on with a click as Itsuki pulled the string above his hospital bed, the sudden brightness causing him to blink rapidly. As his vision finally cleared and he was no longer blinded, he turned his head to look at the clock.

Nine fifty-nine at night.

“It’s nearly ten.” he said quietly, looking away from the little clock in preference of the ceiling. “The race should start very soon.” the events of the day before ran through Itsuki’s mind once again, the overprotective and outraged look on Takumi’s face was forever etched into his memory.

Though, the more he thought on it, the odder Takumi started to look. Itsuki frowned a little at the thought.

“I’ll ask him about it later.” he decided. “For now… I believe in Takumi. I believe he can win.” he teared up a little, thinking about his Levin once again. “Please win, Takumi!”

~0~

He didn’t like the feeling of duct tape on his hands, Takumi decided as he watched the man with the pink ribbon tape it to the wheel. He smelled of car metal, electricity, and bird, though the last smell was fading quickly as it didn’t seem to be his own. Takumi’s nose was rarely wrong, and this man smelled dead, but not rotten like Takeshi.

“There we go.” he said, straightening up and shutting the door. “It’s gotta be tight, but it’s not cutting off circulation, is it?”

“Nope.” Takumi shook his head. “The only grievance I have is that I don’t like how it feels against my hand, but that’s not something I can control, now is it?” the man smiled a little at his snark, looking a little amused.

“Nope, sorry.” he turned towards Iketani, looking vaguely sheepish as an incredibly light blush broke out across his face. Had Takumi not seen the color of his face change, he would have missed it entirely. “He’s all yours.” he said politely, before hurrying off back to the NightKid’s side of Akina.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Kenji asked, sounding incredibly worried as Takumi listened to Nejibana grumble to herself in the passenger floorboards. “I’m starting to think we should have stopped you by force.”

“All we can do now is believe in him, Kenji.” Iketani said, his tone resolute.

“Alright!” a NightKid suddenly yelled, catching everyone’s attention. “They’ve finished setting up the finish line! Everyone out of the road, it’s time to start!”

“Good luck, Takumi.” Iketani gave his arm a firm pat through the window, his eyes flashing amber with his words before he and Kenji hopped the rail and finally allowed him to roll up the window.

 _“Finally.”_ Nejibana grumbled, hopping up onto the passenger seat and crawling into Takumi’s lap. _“I hate hiding down there.”_

“I’m starting the countdown! Ten seconds!”

“I know you do, Bana, but it’s important, even if the opposing team is creatures only.” Takumi responded as the countdown officially began.

_“I know, but I still don’t like it.”_

“I know.”

“Five!”

“We can’t do anything about it, Bana.”

“Four!”

“Maybe one day the Outsiders will lift their protections.”

“Three!”

“But until that day, we have to always hide.”

“Two!”

 _“I know, but I’m going to complain the whole time.”_ Takumi laughed at her words.

“I don’t expect anything less from you.”

_“Good!”_

“ _GO_!!”

~0~

_“It sounds like the race has started.”_ a voice within the treeline at one of the corners spoke up quietly, the distant sound of squealing tires slowly growing closer. _“Tell me again why you insisted on coming out here?”_

 _“I want to see that 86 drive, cousin.”_ a second voice responded, their larger form shifting around into a more comfortable position, sticks and twigs snapping beneath their many legs. _“I want to see if the rumors about him have any merit.”_

 _“You’re just gatekeepy about 86 models racing.”_ the first voice scoffed. _“It’s your calling card, after all. Driving an 86, I mean.”_

 _“Yes, but this one is a Trueno, according to hearsay.”_ the second voice sounded vaguely annoyed, many eyes shined in the spotty moonlight that streamed in through the leaves. _“I want to see it race.”_

 _“As you have said.”_ the first groaned. _“But do we really have to be shifted out here? We’re in a different spider’s territory! I can smell their silk, by the Outsiders they’ll kill us if they find us!”_

 _“What are you, a spider or a mouse?!”_ the second seemed almost offended by what the first had said. _“They won’t kill us.”_

 _“You don’t know that!”_ the first reared back a little, a pair of bright red pedipalps shifting in alarm.

 _"Shh!"_ the second one hushed, they spotted headlamps shining through the trees. _“If anyone hears us, we’re done for!”_ a pair of black pedipalps shifted eagerly in the limited light as their many eyes followed the headlamps. _“If you’re so uncomfortable, you can go back to the car.”_

 _“I’m not leaving you alone in unfamiliar territory.”_ the first huffed, settling down beside them with a decisive wiggle of their abdomen. _“How dare you even suggest that I leave you alone in some other spider’s territory?”_

_“Well you’re a nervous wreck about it. Where’d my brave cousin go? What did you do with him?”_

_“Oh, shut up.”_ the first groaned, visibly regretting his decision to stay.

 _“If you’re going to stay, then watch in silence.”_ the second settled down beside him, looking excited for the events to come as they both peered at the road through the trees. _“Tonight’s show has just begun, after all. And I’m excited to see it all.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spiders, spiders everywhere~. Writing is going to be VERY fun for the next few chapters. :) Also, cameos galore!! (Kiyana)


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the race gets a little more dirty as everyone merely stands back and watches

“The race has officially started.” Iketani muttered quietly to Kenji as the two of them watched the two cars take off, the 86 clearly pulling ahead. There was a sinking feeling in his gut, something big was going to happen tonight, he could feel it.

“Stay calm, Takumi.” Kenji responded, though to Iketani’s words or not was up for heavy debate. Laughter from behind them caused them to turn to see what was going on, spotting two unfamiliar faces twisted in amusement. Everyone seemed to have stepped back into the road after the two cars took off.

“Shingo purposely eased up on the gas to stay behind.” the first of the two cackled, his grin practically splitting his face.

“Of course he did!” the other responded. “He’ll have the best seats to witness that 86 go down the cliff!” the two turned their eyes to look at Iketani and Kenji, seeming unaffected by the unamused glower in the werewolf’s amber eyes. “No human can drive an FR under this rule without crashing it.” Human? Takumi wasn’t… did Nakazato never tell them about him? Neither of them seemed to notice that the man with the pink ribbon was approaching them from behind, he caught Iketani’s gaze and simply winked at him as he approached.

“I doubt that 86 will even last three corners.” the first cackled.

“You two have no tact.” the man looped his arms around their shoulders, causing them to jump.

“O-Oh, Saidai!” the second stuttered. “We didn’t know you were there!”

“Of course you didn’t.” he drawled. “You two were too busy raving about how their friend was going to die. Are you both usually so grim?” he slowly grinned. “Or are you two so smitten with Shingo you can’t help it?” movement to the side caused Iketani to glance that way as the two began floundering for a response. Takeshi was grinning, his shoulders barely shaking from his quiet laughter, clearly he could hear what they were saying and found it funny. “Imagine what Talia would do if she heard about this.”

“No, don’t tell her!” the first groaned. “She’ll never leave us alone!”

“That’s the point.” Saidai removed his arms from their shoulders. “Seriously, though, stop being so grim about their friend. I have a feeling this race won’t end so horribly, nor will it be at all predictable.”

~0~

Shingo couldn’t help but laugh to himself as his tail quietly swayed by his feet, the semi-dull claws on his fingers tapping idly at the wheel as he watched his opponent. He couldn’t believe that he’d finally gotten the 86 to agree to a race, and while he hadn’t expected it to be one of those younger punks from when he first issued his challenge that night on Akina, he couldn’t really bring himself to care.

“Don’t be so cocky.” he muttered towards the 86’s back bumper, a smirk forming on his face. “The B-16A engine is the best there is. If I wanted, there’s no way I’d _ever_ be behind a 4A-G engine at the start. I just wanna see how many corners you can clear before you inevitably plummet into the valley below.” his smirk turned into a sneer for a split second as his thoughts shifted towards Takeshi.

_“You’ve crossed lines tonight, rat. Don’t be surprised when I’m not on your side this time.”_

_“I can support whoever the hell I please. And it’s certainly not going to be_ **_you_** _.”_

“I’ll show you, Takeshi.” he growled. “You’ll be sorry you turned on me.”

~0~

“I really do have to wonder,” an unfamiliar voice spoke up, causing Yuichi to turn his gaze towards him. “Can he really make any of those corners?”

“Never mind that!” another voice exclaimed. “Here they come!” everyone began muttering excitedly as they all turned their eyes back to the road, watching eagerly as the cars began to approach.

“Uh... “ the voice from before spoke up once again, sounding nervous. “Hey, isn’t that 86 coming in too fast?”

“Hey, now that you mention it, yeah, it is!” another responded, taking a few steps away from the rail.

“Ohh, this could get _ugly._ ”

 _‘That doesn’t sound right.’_ Yuichi thought to himself, his expression hardening. _‘He’s going slower on this corner than he had the last two times he’d raced, which would imply that he’s going about this slower than usual in general.’_ he continued to watch, seeing the front of the 86 lurch a little as it began to turn, tires squealing loudly, closer, closer. 

“Watch out!” someone shouted, causing everyone begin to scramble backwards in terror, even Yuichi couldn’t help but backpedal out of instinct as he witnessed Takumi’s usually faint aura flare in slight terror, before there was a semi-violent shift as the car straightened out and cleared the corner with only the slightest gap between it and the rail, quickly regaining its equilibrium and space as it continued down the course.

“He regained control!” that first voice called out, sounding stunned.

“Wow!” another responded shakily. “I was sure he’d lost it completely!”

“Ugh.” Yuichi finally allowed the tension to drain from his muscles as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I’m way too old for this.”

~0~

_“Master, that was so scary!”_ Nejibana cried out, shaking like a leaf from her position on the dash. _“I was so scared! I thought we were gonna die!”_

“If I’m honest, so did I.” Takumi breathed shakily, ignoring the throbbing pain in his right arm. He’d had to force himself to get his arm to move past where it’d wanted to lock up, driving through the pops that nearly made his eyes water. Maybe he should have loosened his joints a little before the race, it would have been a quick heal compared to how it’ll likely be after this race. “I’m so lucky I managed to get the wheel to move more. I thought my arm was going to snap off.

And in his own car, Shingo’s sneer returned full force.

“You’re _lucky._ ” he growled. “I doubt it’ll be the same at the other corners.” his confident smirk returned. “See? Even your enthusiasm is gone. What happened? Was that single corner really enough to make you lose your confidence? How sad.” he laughed loudly at his own cruel words as he watched the 86 wind through the small turns, he’d see if he still held out at the next corner.

~0~

“I can’t keep standing here doing nothing!” Iketani finally snapped, his inner wolf anxious. “We gotta follow them!”

“What?!” Kenji yelped as Iketani quickly took off towards his car. “Wait, Iketani! That doesn’t sound like such a good idea! We’ll never catch up to them!”

“Screw catching up to them, Kenji!” Iketani barked as he opened the driver side door, causing Kenji to recoil. “It’s not about that! We need to follow in case something bad happens! They’ll need someone there fast! Get in the car!”

“Okay, okay!” Kenji stumbled and nearly fell as he bolted towards the S13, and Takeshi watched him go contemplatively.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” he said, watching the car start and drive away, before he crossed his arms, looked up, and began searching for a streak of bright pink in a sea of color. “Oi, Saidai!”

“Yeah?” Saidai’s head popped up over the rest in response to his voice, even as everyone looked in his direction.

“Keep an eye on everyone!” he ordered. “I’m following after them too!”

“Yes sir!” he nodded, allowing Takeshi time to duck into his car and start her up, quickly pulling out into the road.

“If Shingo does what I think he’s going to do, I’ll need to get there and get the other two to leave so I can properly collect him. He’s going to drive that grudge into taking over that kid’s mind, I can feel it in my gut.”

~0~

As the race progressed and Nejibana calmed herself down into a serene state of humming and mimicking the pings of the speedometer, Takumi found himself falling into a semi-pleasant lull, turns becoming easier as the throbbing in his arm began to dull. Though, as the next corner approached, Takumi couldn’t help but wince, quickly positioning himself to allow him room to tug on his arm should the need arise.

“I’m getting the hang of this.” he finally voiced, catching Nejibana’s attention.

 _“Oh, Outsiders.”_ Nejibana practically whimpers. _“Here we go again!”_

Shingo was becoming progressively more unamused as he watched the 86 clear another corner, this time much more smoothly than the last.

“Just how is he…? He’s clearing the corners with little counter. This is completely unbelievable. A duct tape deathmatch can’t be mastered this quickly! The safer you try to go, the deeper you sink- just like an ant-lion trap.” the tip of his tail smacked against the side of the center console as he ground his teeth together in annoyance. “I had to train myself for hours before I finally mastered cornering with my right hand duct-taped to the wheel.” the road began to straighten out as they completely cleared the corner, allowing both cars a moment to accelerate. “On a straight line, engine power is crucial. No NA 10-6DOHC engine in the world can out-perform the B-16A.” he couldn’t help but chuckle a little as he allowed himself a glance at his tachometer. “The sound of revving up to the red zone… to me it’s ecstasy! It’s to die for!” he sped up, quickly coming up beside the 86. He smirked at the driver, taking in the slightly owlish look and smirking when it was replaced by a tiny sneer as he looked away from him and glowered at the road. He fell back into his pace once his opponent’s focus left him.

That was enough playing for the moment.

“You see? I can pass you whenever I want. Maybe you should panic a little!” he jeered. “Let’s get going!”

~0~

Iketani could feel his tail wanting to come out, his anxiety was through the roof as his inner wolf paced around in his head nervously. “My heart speeds up before each corner, I keep anticipating a crushed up 86 appearing somewhere on the road.”

“Hey, don’t say things like that!” Kenji exclaimed, sounding particularly alarmed. “You’re just making me anxious too! I’m sure it’ll end without any disaster…”

“I hope you’re right, Kenji.” Iketani responded. “I shouldn’t worry this much, Takumi’s always full of surprises, but I can’t help it in this case.”

“I know what you mean. Try to think it this way, since we haven’t seen anyone wrecked yet, that means Takumi is doing great.”

“Yeah, so far.” Iketani shifted a little in his seat nervously. “But, it’s been more than three corners as well, he’s made it far past where those NightKids had been convinced he would crash.” his wolf’s pacing slowed. “He’ll be fine! I believe in it.”

“Same here!”

~0~

_“The corners aren’t so scary anymore like this!”_ Nejibana was swaying back and forth on her legs as she kept her gaze locked between the road, and Takumi’s taped hand. _“You seem to be adjusting quickly!”_

“That I am.” Takumi nodded a little. The pain in his arm had dulled to the point that he hardly even noticed it, though his hand did feel clammy and gross beneath the duct tape. “I can keep up the speed nicely like this. It’s faster not to steer too much when cornering.”

Shingo couldn’t help but swear angrily as he watched his opponent get more and more confident with each turn and corner, completely upending the expectations he’d had so far.

“Why?! How is he completely unaffected by my pressure?! He was so unstable at the start of this race, but he keeps getting increasingly sharper as we continue! How the hell is he doing it?!”

~0~

“They’ll be here soon.” Keisuke spoke up from beside his brother, his arms crossed as he silently simmered. The sound of squealing tires was growing ever closer. “It sounds like both are still in one piece.” Ryousuke laughed quietly beside him, Keisuke could tell he had a vaguely smug look on his face even without looking at him.

“If he couldn’t reach this spot, even in this sort of race, I’d be wrong about him, and he wouldn’t be a worthy target at all.” Keisuke continued to ignore his brother, instead catching sight of headlights against the trees as the cars began turning the corner.

“There!” he exclaimed, and he felt Ryousuke perk to attention.

“Hey, someone’s coming from the opposite direction!” someone exclaimed, causing Keisuke to glance in that direction to see a normal car coming down the road. With even hardly a lull in movement, the 86 moved towards the empty lane and drifted through as if nothing was amiss, allowing the car to pass unscathed as the two racers vanished around the corner.

“He just four-wheel drifted through one lane without even crossing the center line!” Keisuke couldn’t help but feel impressed once again. “I didn’t know he could do that, what technique!”

“Not to mention he pulled it off like it was nothing.” Ryousuke added. “There wasn’t a single sign of him panicking about passing by a car, either.”

“Hey, is his hand really taped to the wheel?” Keisuke couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Maybe the tape managed to come off some time ago during the race.”

“Or,” Ryousuke looked towards Keisuke. “Perhaps he merely adapted to the situation quickly.”

“Huh?”

“You can attack a corner by shifting the weight of the car without steering, and he seems to have learned that very quickly, or, at least is instinctually acting upon it without realizing.”

“Jeez.” Keisuke let out a long breath at that as he ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes. “He’s unreal.”

“That he is.” Ryousuke nodded. “Without a doubt, he is evolving right before our very eyes.”

~0~

“What a fake!” Shingo snarled, his claws digging into the steering wheel. “Well, it’ll be hard to label him as a fake if he keeps that kinda shit up!” he narrowed his eyes, an incredibly cruel smile crossing his features. “But I’m not like _Nakazato_. All I have to do is win, no matter what it takes!” the corner was approaching fast, and Shingo knew exactly what he was going to do. “Don’t feel too bad. The 86 of Mount Akina will simply turn into a hunk of metal scrap.”

 _“This is starting to become fun, master!”_ Nejibana cheered.

“You know what, Nejibana?” Takumi began as he shifted his position and began to clear the corner. “I think I ag-” he was suddenly cut off by the car lurching forward, the sound of something colliding with the bumper filling the interior of the car as Nejibana let out a little shriek and clutched at the dash like her life depended on it. Time slowed to a crawl as Takumi slammed his feet down on the pedals, terror racing through him, the car spinning out of control. He hardly registered his opponent passing him as he contorted within the seat, shifting gears and turning the wheel as the nose of the car slowly came back into line in the correct direction. As the car finally straightened back out, Takumi floored it, quickly stabilizing as he raced after his opponent. 

“What a lucky little shit.” Shingo hissed as he caught sight of the 86 gaining on him. “Were this a high speed corner, this race would be over for him! This race is over anyway, victory is mine, one hundred percent! While I hate that you’re still able to race, I’m _far_ too familiar with the rules of this game to lose! I’ll leave you in the dust!”

Takumi was almost shaking as he continued to floor it. White hot rage began to lick at the back of his mind as his grudge boiled over, his vision clouding red as it began to take hold.

 _“He did that on purpose.”_ he heard himself hiss, his voice coming out in a way he’d never experienced before. Though, so focused he was on his opponent, he never noticed how his vision began to sharpen as his many different eyes appeared on his face, unaware of his true form shifting into reality, his fangs glistening in the limited moonlight streaming in through the windshield.

 _“Master?”_ Nejibana was confused, why was her master starting to smell so different? What was happening?

 _“I refuse to lose to a lowly insect like you! I refuse. I_ ** _refuse. We refuse!”_** Nejibana watched in quiet horror as Takumi’s eyes changed to a pitch black as he howled in his rage. **_“We’ll hunt him down and drain him dry!”_**

~0~

_“Did you see that?”_

_“Clear as day, cousin.”_

_“That one was bad.”_ the two spiders were quietly retreating towards their car, eager to leave after what they’d witnessed.

_“I have no doubt, that EG6 is in big trouble now.”_

_“Did you see how that 86’s aura flared?”_ the larger of the two spiders shivered. _“It felt deeply outraged, I could practically see those deep ocean blues flare a deep red. No doubt about it, we just witnessed a grudge take hold.”_

 _“I hope to never see anything like it again.”_ the second shivered. _“Grudges are scary.”_

 _“Let’s hope we never end up developing any.”_ the larger spider paused as he watched his cousin shift down to a human form, glasses glinting in the moonlight as he pulled them from his pocket and adorned them. He quietly glanced back out towards the road as he shifted down himself. “One day, I’d like to race you. But not any time soon, you have something to sort out first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S BEEN MORE THAN TWO MONTHS HI HELLO I'M SORRY I have been so unenthused about writing lately, it doesn't help that I sorta fell out of Initial D and am currently far more interested in Resident Evil. I can't say that I'll get more chapters out sooner, just that I hope to. Sorry for the long wait. (Kiyana)


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the race ends with a spectacular fanfare, and it gets just a tad bit alarming right after

Nejibana braced herself, latching onto the dash as best she could as Takumi’s driving began to become erratic, the 86 seeming to go beyond its limits, sliding around and even running off the road a little, the entire car jerking and shaking at the sudden change in topography. Despite riding up to the bank, Takumi remained unphased. In fact, he was driving faster with his rage fueling his speed, the scenery around the car blurring by in a way that it all seemed to be just baseless color to Nejibana’s many eyes. She could see people on the sidelines scattering out of the way as Takumi took his sweet time pulling the 86 back onto the road, though when they finally came to pass he was already pushing the car towards clearing the corner. The rail approached quickly, a streak of silver in the rest of the color, and Nejibana braced herself for a rough turn, she knew that if even Takumi didn’t smell like he usually did, he would never-

The car jerked roughly as the rear bumper impacted the rail, the loud clunk of metal hitting metal filling the interior as Takumi used the force of the impact to continue forward without hesitation, not even responding to what he’d done outside of a round of clicking, and Nejibana could tell that the clicking wasn’t at all directed to his own actions. Nejibana took the short window of opportunity to move herself towards the windshield, hunkering down in the corner where glass meets dash and feeling more secure in this position compared to when she’d just been hanging on for dear life.

 _‘That’s not my master.’_ she thought to herself, and if that thought didn’t make her feel cold. _‘He would never risk the car for the sake of winning a race!’_ the car shuttered as the topography changed again, asphalt to dirt and then back again, Nejibana peered behind her to see that EG6 slowly coming closer as Takumi gained on it. She glanced back at her master, taking in the pitch black eyes and the bared fangs, warped into a snarl, and shivered.

Indeed, this was not her master. If he was, she wouldn’t be afraid of him. Not even the cheers from the crowd could help her feel excited.

~0~

It must be bad, a figure thought as they eyed the new dent in the rail, left behind so easily, without remorse. They had seen the shift in aura, having watched so intently. They had seen the legs sprout, yes, something was going to happen tonight, and they weren’t thinking about the race at all.

“Did the 86 kid just hit the guardrail on purpose!?” one of the bystanders exclaimed, pulling their attention to them, before returning to where he was standing moments before the impact.

“It would seem so! Because he used the rebound to reverse drift!” another exclaimed, coming up to stand beside him in order to stare down the road with alarm.

“What is that kid thinking?” the first took back over, the shock bleeding to almost outrage, and the figure repressed a laugh. Mortals, so easy to switch moods, though this time they guessed they couldn’t blame him. That was dangerous, plain and simple, even if the spider behind the wheel could control the car so completely.

 **“The air is heavy tonight.”** they spoke, looking up at the sky as they turned to walk into the treeline. **“What an omen for what is to come.”**

~0~

Takeshi was taking a risk, parking and getting out where he had, but he had a deep feeling that he should, that something had happened and that he needed to see the results for himself. He could hear the squealing of tires very clearly, louder and louder as the seconds ticked by, until both cars sped into sight.

Damn, he knew it’d get worse.

The 86’s aura was flared a deep crimson, an uncontrollable flame that contorted unnaturally around the car, leaning around the road and moving like a spider running across an open space. Takeshi had never seen such a thing before, but could easily assume just what it meant, both for him and his idiotic, impulsive mate.

“That 86 seems to have a death wish!” one of the bystanders in front of him exclaimed, sounding both taken aback and a little scared.

“That’s easy to see, he seems to have lost his cool completely!” another responded, his voice shaking.

 _‘He indeed has.’_ Takeshi thought to himself, resigned to this fate. _‘When an average racer loses his cool, that’s the end. He keeps making mistakes, and going fast no longer becomes a viable option. But Takumi… he’s different. So very different. I doubt he’s at the helm anymore, no, his instincts have taken over. A feral Jorōgumo behind the wheel is no doubt quite the thing to contend with. Innate driving sense, coupled with a deep, accelerated grudge? No, slowing down is not an option. The angrier he gets, the faster he goes.’_ Takeshi closed his eyes, agony crossing the space where his mate mark swirled, leaving the space hollow. He placed a hand over it, over his heart, and sighed.

“This race is over, Shingo.” he muttered to himself, turning back towards his car, intent on making it to his stupid mate. “You’re such an idiot.” before entering his car again and following the pair from a distance.

~0~

“Are you serious?” Shingo was sweating, a deep, terrible sense of foreboding chipping away at his resolve as he glanced at the 86 in his rear view, able to feel the piercing gaze of the driver inside but unable to see inside, as though a dark mist had overtaken the interior. “The 86 is closing the gap! That should be impossible! Damn! Damn it all!” he turned his gaze back towards the road, forcing himself to ignore the gaze burning him. He braked for a corner, gritting his teeth as the 86 behind him swerved to the open side of the road to follow him through.

He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he’d really fucked up this time.

“I hate this!” he snarled as his EG6 gave a slight lurch to the side. “I’ve been pushing my car to the near limit this whole damn time, and it’s done nothing to shake him off! Just what the hell is going on?!” he felt his gut drop, a feeling he couldn’t immediately identify pooling in the newly opened space, causing him to sweat more and grip the steering wheel hard in an effort to stave off shaking. It didn’t take him long at all to figure out just what it was.

Terror.

“I’m scared.” he hated how his voice sounded to himself as he said that. “I’ve never felt this scared in a downhill race before.” he ground his teeth together nervously, he could feel his whiskers pick up the strange vibration in the air. A glance at the rear view once again, that 86 was practically riding his bumper now, the heat from the gaze on the back of his head intensified and it finally clicked for him, just what this race was making him feel.

He was nothing more than prey now. It was as simple as that.

“This shouldn’t be possible!” he gripped the wheel so hard it hurt. “My EG6, the best of its class, is being overtaken by an 86, of all cars! This race isn’t about speed anymore, now it’s fundamentally different, in every way. That 86 is just unreal! But, all I have to do is make sure he doesn’t pass me! After these hairpin turns, the finish is near. I’ll win this race!” he tried to comfort himself, if he got caught, he would become the hunter’s dinner. He turned into the hairpin, watching as his opponent turned towards the empty space, the intent somehow different than the last time he’d done so. “Don’t think I’ll just give you the inside!” he turned his EG6 enough to block passage, confident it’d have some reaction.

The 86 just kept pulling forward, closer and closer.

“No! Is he gonna bump me back?!” the thought of it made him panic, the wheel jerking just the slightest bit away from the 86, the slipping tires giving away more space than he’s intended, allowing the 86 access to the gutter completely. His opponent took the advantage as it was given to him, dipping his tires in and speeding back into the lead with hardly even a single slip. Shingo could feel his gut drop as he looked into the 86 when he passed him. More eyes than he felt comfortable counting, fangs gleaming in the reflected lights, anger, so much anger, and then it was gone, the 86 in front of him and leading.

“I’d thought he was going to bump me back, but… after what I saw?” Shingo really was an idiot, the memory of Takeshi warning him about pulling stupid stunts in other creature’s territory echoed in his mind and he could only ask himself just _how the hell_ he’d forgotten. “I’m dead if I don’t win!” a glint of mischief flashed in his eyes, sudden hysteria bubbling up in his chest. “But if I tie, all I’ll have to worry about is a slighted pride, maybe I’ll even escape the fury of the 86 driver.” he glanced at the 86, catching sight of the dark emptiness beyond the rail, a straight plummet down, and a very stupid idea began to form in his mind. “This stretch of road is a short, straight line, but my engine can get me side by side with that 86. Neither of us can escape one another right now.” a grin stretched across his face, wobbly in it’s placement. “How about ending this race… with a double crash?!” his grin turned cruel as he sped up, coming in pace with the 86 as he moved his unbound hand across the wheel, a sharpness in his expression that would have given anyone pause as he swerved directly towards the 86.

And then he caught sight of that face again, eyes narrowed in angry displeasure, teeth bared even more clearly, before the 86 almost leapfrogged out of the way, leaving Shingo no time to fix his grievous error, and crash alone. He let out a choking sound and braced himself as he impacted the rail, the entire side of his car scraping along it before a street sign batted him away with ease. Shingo could hardly even react to it all as the car became airborne and continued to bounce along the rail once more, a sharp pain blossoming in the hand and wrist bound to the wheel as he slammed on the brakes and came to a stop, the trunk pressed against the rail as the 86 vanished down the road, a ghost of its own right, no traces left behind. It took him a moment to return to his senses, stunned as he was, but when he did he used the claws on his free hand to release the one bound, wincing at the jolt of pain accompanying it.

“Fuck.” he swore, cradling his hand to his chest and taking a moment to breath, before he opened the door and stepped out to observe the damage. It was almost like a horror show, one side of his car absolutely scraped to hell and a headlight missing completely, destroyed by the impact with the rail.

“My EG6…” he hated how his voice shook, but ignored it and instead knelt down, setting a hand on the car as oil leaked out from under it like blood. The roar of an engine caught his attention, he looked down the road in time to see headlights fast approaching, reflecting off the tears in his eyes. When the hell did he start crying? He wiped away the tears as the car came to a stop, two doors opening and footsteps rapidly approaching.

“Hey, are you alright?!” the voice of the SpeedStars’ leader, Iketani, was full of concern, and if that didn’t take Shingo aback he didn’t know what would.

“Damn!” the other whistled. “That’s some serious crash damage!”

“He’s lucky it isn’t worse!” Iketani snapped. “Are you injured?” Shingo elected not to answer. “Alright, I get it. How about we just take you to the hospital anyway, just in case?”

“... I can’t let you do that much for me.” Shingo finally responded. “Just, make a phone call for me.”

“A tough act.” Iketani’s voice was closer. “Just drop it, man. You’re obviously hurt, if you cradling your arm means anything.”

“When we crash, we help each other out. Besides, we’re locals, so we know an emergency hospital.”

“Kenji’s right!” Shingo looked towards them, more than a little surprised.

“I…” He then heard a familiar engine coming from where he came. An RB26DETT. Takeshi was coming down the pass. He quickly stood up and wiped away the extra tears that had begun to build up. The R32 came to a stop near his car and Takeshi hurried out, while making sure his head stayed where it was.

“Shingo, are you alright?” he asked, despite the hostility between them, he still cared for his mate. Before he could answer, a strange smell entered everyone’s noses, excluding Kenji. Takumi was returning, without his car. “You two should go. I’ll take care of Shingo.”

“R-Right! Come on, Kenji, he has it covered! We aren’t needed here anymore.” Iketani started hurrying Kenji back into the S13, his eyes amber in his sudden terror.

“What are you saying?” Kenji was dumbfounded, resisting slightly. “But what about his car?! Shouldn’t someone stay to flag down the tow truck?!”

“Nakazato says he has it covered!” he was practically pulling him by now. “We’ll just be in the way, Kenji! Let’s go!”

“Alright, alright! Let’s go looking for Takumi instead, then!”

“He’s likely gone home, Kenji! No need to bother him.” Shingo looked in absolute fear as the SpeedStars both entered the S13 and hurried off.

“Takeshi?” he asked shakily, frowning more when his mate looked away from him, paler than he’d ever seen him. “What’s going on?”

 **_“There you are...”_ ** a smooth voice whispered through the trees, it’s tone so sickeningly sweet that they both could practically taste the sugar coating their mouths. **_“We’ve been looking for you.”_ ** equally creepy laughter rang through their ears. 

Takeshi gulped, his head wobbling momentarily and forcing him to balance it once again, and walked a little closer to the source of the voice. “I know it is you, Takumi!”

**_“We are what we are, dullahan.”_ **

Something was really, _really_ off about him. Takumi started walking closer to the pair, each step loud and echoed. His numerous legs, his pedipalps and fangs were the first thing Shingo noticed. Then Takumi stopped in front of him, towering over him in his full height. Shingo had angered a Jorōgumo, Outsiders above, it was with that realization that he collapsed. Takeshi took initiative at that, quickly moving to stand in between the two, his arms open wide with the intent to shield the downed man behind him. Takumi seemed surprised by the action, teeth clacking and a delighted grin stretching across his face.

**_“Bold of you to step between us and our prey.”_ **

“I know what he did was stupid! And I know that he can’t escape the fate he idiotically brought about, but all I ask from you, as a friend, is that he is kept alive at least.” Takeshi’s voice was surprisingly even, and it was that alone that made Takumi back off a little, two steps back with the tilt of his head, dark eyes shimmering with mirth.

 **_“You mean to barter?”_ ** he practically purred.

“Damage for damage!” Takeshi barked, Takumi recoiled in shock, clicking away. “No lives were lost because of him! As such you have no right to life for a life!” Takumi’s many eyes blinked, once, twice, before he grinned once again.

 **_“You speak the truth.”_ ** he sounded far too delighted to be caught out of his own game. **_“Alright, it’s a deal. Damage for damage. We agree to those terms.”_ **

“I’m not done.” Takeshi finally crossed his arms.

 **_“Oh?”_ ** now Takumi was beginning to sound a little annoyed. **_“You are very bold.”_ **

“Well, with my mate bond on the line, I have to be.” Takumi gestured to him, surrender to his words, only truth spoken. “We have agreed that no lives will be taken, but I have to ask you to not fully maim him. I want him to be able to return to me from wherever you take him.”

Takumi was quiet for a moment, thinking how to agree to the terms, yet twist them enough to sate his anger. Shingo was still on the ground, shaking like a leaf in a storm, tears were flowing down onto the asphalt from his eyes.

**_“Fine. A it's a deal. Not that we're happy about it.”_ **

“Good.” he looked down at his mate as he stepped out of the way. “I’m sorry, Shingo, this is all I can do now. Takumi! I’ll be waiting right here, if Shingo doesn’t return, I’ll have to inform your father about this.” an agitated round of clicks rang through his throat at that, but the threat was clear enough, and he knew he’d act upon it too. With that clear, Takeshi pocketed his hands and entered his car.

 **_“Now then, Shingo.”_ ** a feral smile split Takumi’s features. **_“It’s time for us to play a little.”_ **

A loud wail pierced the quiet mountain pass.

~0~

Takeshi sat there, in his car, the radio playing quietly in an attempt to make him stop worrying, but he couldn’t. He popped off his head and sat it on the passenger seat, which always has a plastic wrap on it, except when he does pick up someone else. It made him feel more in his element, more like the creature he was. In hindsight, playing the radio was a mistake, as he couldn’t hear someone crawling back. But the scent of fresh blood was enough to alert him. He scurried to put his head back on, before slowly opening the car door. And there on the ground he laid, the wererat who had no idea what he got himself into before it was far to late. His tail was broken into segments, nose crooked and bleeding. His left eye was black and swollen. The right arm and left leg were bent out of their sockets. Looks like Takumi kept his promise… but he’s a red widow!

“Shingo! Outsiders… please tell me he didn’t inject you with venom.”

 **“No, he didn’t.”** the sudden voice caused Takeshi to suddenly turn, his head once again wobbling and forcing him to stabilize himself once again. There were two figures standing behind him, he’d neither heard nor smelled a single thing that would let on to them no longer being alone. The one who spoke seemed to be wearing a cloak, though many feathers of different colors poked out from the neck and the sleeves. **“We kept watch, he didn’t even seem to think about using his venom once, though his fangs were another story entirely.”**

 **“Not even a drip.”** the other spoke. **“Spiders tend to leak venom when they’re particularly worked up, he seems to have kept a pretty tight lid on it. He knows better than to ignore the threat of his father getting involved.”**

“W-Who…”

 **“Friends.”** the first pushed a pair of round glasses back up their nose as the other stepped forward intently, kneeling down beside Shingo as they hummed. **“We’re always watching, you know.”** a grin, slow, measured, methodical.

“What…?” there was a small, sudden scent, like flowers freshly bloomed, and he looked down to see the second figure slowly straightening Shingo’s tail back out, bones quickly clicking back into place like magnets. And then, just like that, it fully clicked. “You’re Outsiders, aren’t you?”

 **“Quick to realize.”** the second spoke. **“I see why you chose him.”**

 **“It wasn’t** **_just_ ** **that, but it’s a factor, yes.”** the first sounded amused.

 **“Now, I can’t fix everything.”** the second spoke back up. **“But I can fix the most important issue, that being his tail and limbs. The rest you’ll have to take him to the hospital for, but at least with the tail fixed you won’t have to find a creature doctor in specific.”**

“I… that’s more than I’d ever ask of Outsiders.” Takeshi’s voice wavered.

 **“We know.”** the second sounded more than amused as they turned to the broken leg, clicking their tongue. **“He really did a number on this one.”** they lifted the limb and Shingo let out a pained sound, not really a whimper exactly but enough of one that caused the Outsider to shush him gently as they got to work fixing the bones diligently.

“Why exactly are you helping us?” Takeshi asked, so confused, and so tired.

 **“Because we like you, Takeshi Nakazato.”** the first responded. **“We like you and Shingo Shouji. Helping you both is in our best interest.”**

 **“Blessed be.”** the second said quietly, almost out of habit than an actual response, and that was enough to make Takeshi sit down.

Blessed be. Outsiders.

Talia was going to lose her mind when she found out. She’s always told them she’d thought there were too many important eyes on them.

He just didn’t think she’d meant this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK MY HEAD HURTS AHAHA THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE (Kiyana)


End file.
